Ezekiel had been floating in a sea of stars for a length of time he couldn’t measure. He had suffered for what felt like forever as he broke the artificial connections that had been forged to reconnect his Spirit Paths.
The breaking of those paths had nearly broken him. But he knew it had to be done, else he would be unable to reforge his soul properly.
All but one had been broken, the connection that held his bond to Shine was the only thing that had remained.
When his soul was broken down, he ended up not doing anything as he tried to recover. The sensation of not feeling pain was now unfamiliar to him. Simply feeling nothing was so relaxing, so pleasing, that he lost track of how long he just floated there.
‘Ezekiel... Are you alright?’ Shine’s voice was gentle and quiet. There was a nervous waver as they cautiously kept in contact with Ezekiel’s soul.
Shine had been instrumental in forging the new pathways that were actually in line with the natural pathways that Ezekiel had long since lost. Given their outside perspective, Shine was able to trace these Spirit Paths far more easily than Ezekiel.
It was something like tattooing yourself. You could get some areas just fine, but reaching others was nearly impossible without help.
The hardest part was when Ezekiel broke his connection to Shine once more. Only to reforge it from a different section of his Spirit Paths. One that he hadn’t realized was much easier to connect to than his prior attempt.
‘I’m okay, Shine. Thanks for asking.’ Ezekiel fully opened himself to his Spirit partner. Showing the truth of the matter. He was actually better than before, and his mana flowed far more easily than it ever had. Nearly at the edge of Tier four.
There were only a few more connections that were needed to cross that boundary once more.
Idly waving his hand, Ezekiel felt the flow of his mana increase momentarily. The feeling was much like walking through a misty fog. A cool sensation that clung to his skin. But not uncomfortably.
If anything, it was a soothing sensation, like a cool drink on a hot day.
From what Ezekiel could tell, once he reforged the last couple of connections, he would also be ready to reach the next few Steps with ease. So long as he took the time to absorb the mana, or Shine took the chance to pass over all the mana they had in order to force him to rise to the next Step.
‘Should we keep going? Whatever that is, it feels... big. Too big for us to handle...’ Shine gestured to the edge of Ezekiel’s soul. Where there were pieces of his Spirit Paths floating just beyond reach.
Alongside a vast and unexplored network of Spiritual Pathways that were already connected to the last couple of pieces.
A network that wasn’t recorded in the memory of his soul that was contained within the Ancient Glacial Pool. Something that was beyond their understanding and expectations.
Ezekiel had his theories regarding what this vast and expansive network was. But he didn’t have any proof to be certain. Regardless of how confident he was in his idea.
“For all we know, my theory is right, and that network is merely the growth my soul has undergone due to the life and death struggles we’ve faced since my paths broke.” Ezekiel placed a hand on Shine’s head, calming the Spirit down significantly.
“What if you’re wrong?”
“... I’m not... I can’t be. Not at this point.”
Stepping forward, Ezekiel and Shine reached out with their mana. Shine directed it while Ezekiel shaped it. The mana reached between the broken pieces of his spirit paths, shifting to match the shape recorded in the memory of the pool.
Weeks of work and searing pain had all led to this, and there was a risk that everything was about to go wrong. If he failed at this point, then everything up until now would’ve been for nothing.
It took a few seconds for the new paths to settle into place and solidify, but once they did, Ezekiel felt a ‘click’ in his soul.
Followed immediately by a weightless sensation overcoming his body. Mana that hadn’t been under his control flooded his Spirit Paths. More mana than he remembered ever having before.
So much mana that it flooded through him, and into Shine. An unexplainable change occurring in the Void Spirit’s soul. One that was, apparently, painless in nature.
The next thing Ezekiel saw was an opalescent light that filled everything.
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Outside the Feathered Peaks, beyond the boundary that was keeping the cult and its allies unaware of its true location, Riley was fighting alongside Narrik and a team of Adept Hunters.
It turned out that the conflict the tribe had been through the past few months, and even prior, had been enough for Narrik and his sister to push their souls to reach the next Tier. That, alongside the teachings of Talon, Morty, and Ezekiel’s notes, was enough to push both of Elder Rosen’s children to the Legendary Tier.
Currently, the two were separated as they led a squad to pincer a group composed of both cult and Guild Hunters. It was one of the straggler groups that had been left behind in the blizzard summoned by the combined forces of the Fjorya’s Legendary Glacial Spirits.
All the Glacial Spirits in the area had sworn their allegiance to Invera.
The same as all the other Spirits within the region of the Feathered Peaks, regardless of their element. This had been a game changing event that had turned the conflict toward the Fjorya’s favor for quite some time.
A small commotion grabbed Riley’s attention. It seemed like the cult had noticed Narrik’s position not far from them. Just as they had planned earlier.
Hidden in a snowdrift, Riley tapped her bracelet three times in succession. This sent a signal to all the other bracelets in her squad. Each one also hidden beneath their own snowdrifts.
‘Thank the Ancients for Ezekiel’s magic.’ Riley thought as she spared a glance at the Artifact on her wrist. ‘Otherwise, the lack of communication on our side would let us get destroyed by the cult.’
More than once, a sudden warning had alerted the tribe’s forces of cult activity. Granting them the advantage of changing their plans thanks to their greater knowledge of the territory.
The call of a massive bear rolled through the area. Causing the Legendary Guild Hunter hired by the cult to cover his ears. A series of razor-sharp icicles speared toward her. Only to be deflected as constructs of wood deflected them.
Battle immediately broke out between the two forces of Narrik’s squad and the combined cult and Guild Hunters. Thirty seconds passed after the first roar was released. Ten for each tap Riley had sent via her bracelet.
Rather than take to the skies, Narrik and the Guild Leader remained on the ground, where they both retained an advantage due to the presence of their elements.
The trees nearest the Guild Leader bent and whipped their branches toward Narrik. Only for snow and ice to rise and buffet the attacks in return. A stalemate was held for the duration of Riley’s countdown.
But it was clear the Narrik was flagging. His lower Step limited the extent of his abilities. Ensuring he had to be more careful.
All the while, Riley prepared her own spell as Narrik, and the Guild Leader, moved closer to her position.
Just as the final second of her countdown passed, Narrik closed an icy bear trap on the Life Hunter. An attack that was blocked as she leapt into the air to escape.
Only for Riley to burst out of the snow, fully clad in her Spirit armor, and release her spell. A Lance of clear fire made from a full step of Tier four mana pierced through the Guild Leaders chest. Her armor and flesh melted and charred from the heat.
Panting from the excretion needed to form and release such a spell, Riley nearly took a knee, but was able to keep herself upright as her squad dashed from cover.
The battle immediately turned to favor the Feathered Peaks Hunters. With the two Legendary Hunters aiding them, it was a simple matter to wipe out the Mages that opposed them. It was barely a few minutes later that the clearing was silent once more.
“It seems like this group was mostly just a scouting team.” Narrik carelessly flipped over the body of one of the Hunters from the cult. The apparent Glacial Mage had several icicles sticking out of his chest. Beside him was a Life Mage that had lacerations from daggers controlled by a Tempest Mage.
Narrik sneered at both of them. But didn’t go as far as to spit on the dead. Unlike the cult.
For a moment, Riley nearly agreed with Narrik’s observation. But a second look at two of the bodies that were laid out near the center made her pause.
Rushing over, she checked the pockets of the two bodies. Thinking back, she hadn’t seen these two actually take part in the attack. Mostly holding back and fighting with their weapons.
A set of scimitars that were matched between the two of them. Much nicer than the other pieces of equipment that the Guild and cult forces had.
But it was the miniature Com-Slates that they both held that made Riley curse.
“What is it?” Narrik called out. “Something interesting?”
Riley let out a frustrated sigh. “These two were likely Radiant Mages. Worse yet, they have Com-Slates. So, it won't be long before another force, one with more Legendaries, arrives here to take us out. We need to retreat to the fallback point now.”
Narrik’s face turned grim. He knew that, if the cult had just lost two of its Radiant Mages, then Riley’s words were true.
Giving out orders, the group swiftly fled the area before the cult could send in reinforcements. But it didn’t matter. The cult knew they were operating in this area. There had been no time to relocate the bodies to throw off the trackers.
Mentally sighing at the unfortunate situation, Riley just wanted to return to the Feathered Peaks.
This had been the third mission in the four days since she had initially returned to the peaks to check on Ezekiel. Mostly they had just been hitting patrols and scouts.
The cult was moving closer, however, and the tribe didn’t have the numbers to spread their forces any thinner. Especially since the Tarquessa Guilds that were allied with the cult had been making progress.
The conflict had greatly aided Rena and Narrik in reaching Tier four. Something that wasn’t unique to their side.
Sensing her partner’s frustration, Celia sent feelings of comfort and reassurance toward Riley.
Smiling despite her worries and desire to return to the Feathered Peaks, Riley continued to lead her team towards one of the nearby safehouses before meeting up with one of the relief teams.
Led into the underground tunnels once more, Riley and the rest found themselves resting up in preparation for their next mission.
All the while unaware of the events occurring elsewhere in the Fjorya.
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Further to the south, within a heavily fortified building surrounded by countless defensive formations, a Peak Legendary Radiant Hunter slammed his hands onto a large, reinforced stone table.
It immediately cracked in half as he let out a scream of rage.
“How are we losing!?” He screamed.
All around the massive broken table were additional peak Legendary Hunters. Each one had their Spirit resting either beside or behind them. All the elements were represented right now. Except for the Obscure, Death, and Void.
Several symbols that were not representative of the Cult of Light were also present. These were the Guilds that were fully allied with the cult. Their forces had been more or less subsumed into the cult during the civil war. So, it was impossible for them to not have participated in the conflict within the Fjorya.
Though the frowns filled with disapproval seemed to indicate that not all the Legendaries present approved of the actions that were being taken.
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One in particular was nearly shaking with rage.
“Are your so-called Guild Leaders so weak that they can’t even kill a handful of tribal barbarians!?” The Radiant Hunter roared at his peers. “We managed to take out an entire Spirit Haven, dispersing the gathered Spirits and nearly wiping out all opposition in the central regions, and you lot can’t even take out a couple of worthless animals!”
The Guild Leader who was shaking from rage had had enough.
“You dare proclaim that our forces are weak, when you and your cult had to rely on a weapon you can’t even use anymore!?” The red clad Hunter called out. “Besides, we know full well that, given the Anathema still lives, your forces lost at the battle of the Spirit Haven, even if you did wipe out most of the Legendary Spirits that were there. You even let a Mythic Spirit be born to oppose us!”
That was the worst part of it. Things had been relatively easy when the Fjorya lacked a true force to fight against them. The tribes and Wild Spirits were too divided to form a true threat.
Now, the only thing keeping the cult from being wiped out was the fact that the Fjorya’s new Mythic was spread too thin, fighting the cult and Guild forces across the whole of the mountain range.
Furious at being called out, the Radiant Hunter donned his Spirit Armor, just as the Flame Hunter did the same. A gold and red flash of light filled the room as constructs took form.
The building shook as the two peak Legendaries released their pressure on the room.
It was only the defensive formations, and the combined might of the other five peak Legendaries that held the Radiant and Flame Hunters from coming to blows.
“That. Is. Enough!” a new pressure weighed down on the Legendary Hunters.
The door to the meeting room opened. A new Hunter garbed in a mix of red and gold entered.
Seeing who had come to their base, the members of the cult that stood at the table fell to their knees in reverence. While the Guild Leaders stood at attention and saluted.
A frown crossed Amelia’s face as she saw that the Guild Leaders weren’t bowing, but she didn’t say anything as she knew that forcing their hand wouldn’t be helpful at the moment.
But she did walk up to the Flame Hunter and slapped him across the face.
The man’s Spirit Armor instantly disappeared, and he was thrown across the room into a wall.
She followed up by kicking the Radiant Hunter in the stomach and sending him flying toward a different wall. He too lost control of his Spirit Armor.
“You are all quite lucky that I can’t stay here for long. Else the rebels might start pushing back into Rime of Chime.” The Red Light of Radiance said in an even toned voice. No emotion could be sensed by any of the Legendaries in the room. But the pressure she released had not let up.
“As it is, I have some items for you that should help with overcoming your recent failures.” Holding up a hand and snapping her fingers, a crate was brought in by one of the Hunters that had been following Amelia. “You have all been informed of these items. The ones who use them will die, of course, but that is the cost of your inability to do your jobs. So, pick who will use these items wisely.”
Opening the crate, the assembled Legendaries' faces’ all paled at the items inside the crate.
Multicolored metal orbs were held within. Each one was a volatile explosive that would be enough to break through the defensive formations covering this base.
“As you know, these weapons are experimental, and nearly three times more costly than the cannons we are now forbidden to use. They are the last of the weapons we’ve managed to develop with the knowledge from the Church of Tens’ cathedrals.” Amelia’s face twisted in disgust at the thought of the Church. “With that in mind, know that, if you fail, your Guild will no longer be able to operate in Tarquessa. But neither will you be permitted to join the rebels in the Fjorya. Your contracts demand such.”
Each of the Legendary Hunters that wasn’t directly a part of the cult flinched at the harsh reminder. But they had no one to blame but themselves. Their
“We understand, Lady Amelia. Those bastard tribesmen will be removed, and we will have the freedom to move into the Fjorya at our own pace.” The Radiant Hunter said with a voice filled with reverence.
Amelia simply smiled and nodded in approval at the man’s devotion.
“That will be all. I expect results soon.” Turning from the room, she left. “In particular, I expect the head of the Anathema, or that damned bird.”
All the Legendary Hunters that remained turned pale, and each one ran through the names of those they felt they could sacrifice. While also being the ones that were most likely to not mess up and lose even more ground to the rebels and tribesmen.
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Back at the foot of the Feathered Peaks, Riley had just met up with Evelyn and her group of Hunters and Mages. Apparently, both of their groups had run-ins with cultists who had Com-Slates and had been forced to retreat from where they had begun pulling cultists away from the mountain.
“What’s the next plan? The Cult still doesn’t know the exact whereabouts of the Feathered Peaks. Just the general region. So, we should still be able to divert them, shouldn’t we?” Riley asked while a meeting took place in the base that they had fallen back to.
“Not in this situation,” Evelyn replied. “With Invera and the Guardian birds having to direct the cult on the other side of the mountain, the forces we’ve been dealing with have begun shoring up support from more of the Guilds in the southern parts of the Fjorya.”
“Worse yet, Invera won’t be able to stay for too long. She’s been asked to support the tribes in the more central areas of the Fjorya.” Rena interjected before another question could be raised. “This means that we’ll be on our own soon. Which I think the cult already knows. Or is at least preparing for.”
The fact that Invera would be leaving the mountain, and its territory, was a blow to their morale. But so long as they didn’t suffer a devastating defeat anytime soon, they would be able to draw out the conflict until the Mythical bird could return.
Unless the cult had another hidden card up their sleeve. But Riley couldn’t bear thinking about such a thing at the moment. The cannons the cult had deployed were bad enough. As was the monster they had made from Norton Kindled.
Riley genuinely prayed that she would never have to face such a thing again. Not unless she became a Legendary Being herself.
“Do we at least know how much longer we’ll be able to hold out for? Or even what the cult’s current intentions are?” Narrik exclaimed in frustration.
He had finally reached Tier four, and it was obvious to Riley that he had been hoping to enter the battle and defend his home. Winning glory for himself and his family.
The fact that he had been forced to retreat after his first great victory was clearly wearing on his nerves. Though his sister wasn’t much better. Fidgeting and grasping at her weapon in anger at the cult that had invaded their mountains. She simply hid it better.
“Well... thanks to Riley’s efforts, we do have the locations of their primary forward bases.” Evelyn said before pulling another map from her Void Pouch. “If we can take out at least these three, then we’ll be able to reposition most of the Hunters and Mages in our group to the other mountains in the area. As they’ll need to pull back to their other bases further south.”
The three bases in question were circled in red ink, indicating their priority as targets. But while they were the main focus of the map, it was clear as to why they hadn’t been attacked yet.
The symbols used by the cult to denote these bases indicated heavy fortifications. In particular, heavy patrols, a larger number of fighters, and a higher likelihood of being caught and taken down before the bases could be destroyed.
“Is there any chance that your stealth would allow you to slip past the defenses and sensory arrays around these bases?” Rena asked as she narrowed her eyes in thought.
Her hopes were dashed when Evelyn shook her head. “A year ago, maybe, but if the cult’s been in talks with the Kindled family for as long as we suspect them to, then it’s likely that they've at least managed to acquire some of Kindled family’s sensory arrays. Even their most basic ones would be able to sense the shadows of an Obscurity Mage, or Spirit.”
That had been another blow to the Luminance family’s spirit. It was clear that the cult and the Kindled family had formed a lasting relationship at this point. Even if it had only become apparent in the last few months.
“Damn. Then that means that we’ll have to brute force it.” Narrik grumbled, much to the other’s disappointed sighs. “What? How else are we going to take those bases out?”
“We won’t be,” Evelyn declared. “The proximity of the bases means that their Legendary overseers would be able to support any other base before we could finish one of them off. Meaning we’d be outnumbered before, we managed to break through the defenses of the base. Unless we can get past those defensive arrays, we won’t be able to make this into a fight. Not right there, at least.”
“... Would it be possible to draw them out? Strike them on another patrol route and whittle their numbers down until we can force them into a desperate ambush or assault that we can counter?” Narrik was grasping at straws now. Desperate to try yet another plan to take down the cult.
The despondent faces around him just made him angrier. Frost began to spread from his fingers as he allowed his emotions to effect his mana.
“Then what are we to do?”
For a moment, no one answered him. The unfortunate truth was that they were at somewhat of a stalemate with the cult. Something that held true all across the mountain, in all of the tribes that called the various peaks home.
Just then, however, a commotion started up outside. One of the Hunters that had been standing out front barged into the room with news.
“Leaders! There’s someone outside! It’s a Legendary Hunter, but we don’t know whose faction he belongs to, but he’s not attacking!”
The four Legendary Hunters all rose from their seated positions, donning their Spirit armor in an instant. A panicked look crossed all their faces.
For a Legendary Hunter to have gotten to their camp, hidden as it was, meant that they had been led here. Worse yet, they had to have incredible stealth-based abilities, since none of them had sense this Legendary Hunters arrival.
Rushing outside, Riley found herself stopping just as she exited the building, floating in the air where she had flown through a window.
There, standing before her, was the most familiar figure she had never seen before.
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Merely a couple of hours ago, just outside the Ancient Glacial Pool at the Feathered Peaks, Ellen and Wendy were sitting with Tina and Kare. Both were fretting over the fact that their mother had gone off to fight once more.
In the months that they had been living in the Feathered Peaks, both the young Mages and their Spirits had broken through to Tier two. Having been relatively close to that level already, and now having the aid of a Spirit to expedite their growth, and vice versa.
“Do you think that things will be alright?” Wendy quietly asked.
Ellen just scoffed before she replied. “Please, as if there’s anything that can take mom down in a fight. If anything, the cult will be running away in fear sooner, rather than later, now that she’s joined in.”
She tried to sound brave and confident for her sister. Both of the twins had begun to develop to the extremes of their personalities since coming to the Feathered Peaks.
Wendy had started to become quieter and more withdrawn. Unseen and unheard as she started delving more and more into the shadows.
While Ellen had begun growing louder and more certain of her actions. Shining brighter and brighter as she made her presence known to all those around her.
Yet, no matter how far they subconsciously delved, their family was there to bring them back.
Most of them, at least.
Knowing that her sister was just amping up the bravado, Wendy was about to ask her to answer her for real, when a flash of opalescent light filled her vision.
“Ezekiel!” The twins yelled as soon as they could see once more. They ran toward the room where the Ancient Glacial Pool was located.
Before they could get far, however, an elderly figure stepped in front of them.
It was Welt, the kind old man that had graciously provided rooms for the Luminance family in his newly expanded home.
“Hold on girls. Something unexpected has happened.” Welt’s face was grim, and he held up a hand to keep the twins behind him.
A moment later, Rosen and a few of the other elders appeared. All with the same serious expressions on their faces as they looked toward the room that Ezekiel had been in for the last month.
Being Adepts or Legendaries, they could all sense what the twins could not.
The power of the person behind those doors was far more powerful than a first Step Legendary Mage or Spirit. Even more so than a first Step Legendary Hunter.
This power was closer to the mana of a third Step Legendary Hunter donning their armor, at the least.
One whose presence was shifting back and forth between something they could feel, and something they could not.
No words were spoken, however, as the doors to the pool opened slowly.
A figure wearing white opalescent Spirit Armor gracefully walked out of the room.
There were no distinguishable motifs on his armor besides that of a broadsword pointed downward on his chest plate.
Behind him was a cloak that looked like the night sky. Black but filled with countless stars. It seemed to fade in and out of existence every second.
“... Hello...” Ezekiel’s voice seemed different. There was an undertone of another voice that the twins had only heard a few times in the past.
“Big bro...?” Surprisingly enough, it was Wendy that spoke up first.
Stepping forward slowly, showing no signs of aggression toward the clearly disturbed elders, Ezekiel stood in front of his sisters. His helmet faded into motes of white light as his smiling face greeted them both.
“Hi girls. It’s good to see you both again.” Without his helmet, Ezekiel’s voice no longer had the additional undertone. But it still seemed different. More confidence. More solid.
“Where’s mom and Riley?” Ezekiel asked. He frowned when his sister’s looked away.
“Ahem... Perhaps, we can speak of that elsewhere.” Welt gestured to another room not far away.
Dispelling his Spirit Armor, Ezekiel and Shine moved forward. The Void Spirit drawing looks from everyone as they now took on a form that was exceptionally different from their old one.
No longer was Shine apparently bound to a singular immobile body. Instead, they took on an ethereal form that floated alongside Ezekiel. A small trail of misty light formed a tail that tied them to the sword at Ezekiel’s waist.
Their form was humanoid, but genderless, and had no distinct facial features besides a mouth, nose, and eye sockets.
Many of the elders stared for a moment before moving to catch up. The twins looked on in awe and wonder at the new Spirit they had never seen before. To their knowledge, no Spirit had ever taken on a humanoid form like this since the Ancients themselves.
Once they were settled, Ezekiel was given a quick rundown of the situation. A grim frown covered his face as he thought about what he needed to do. He seemingly came to a conclusion after Welt told him where his mother and Riley were currently located.
“I’m going.” He simply declared to the rest of the room.
The elders looked concerned but realized that they couldn’t do anything to stop him. Nor were any of them particularly invested in him personally. Welt was, and he made his displeasure known. However, nothing was stopping Ezekiel. Not even his sisters.
“You both be safe now. Listen to Elder Welt, and make sure you keep on training with Tina and Kare. I’ll make sure that mom and Riley come home soon. Okay?”
After his talk with the elders, Ezekiel had gathered some supplies, and was now at the outskirts of the boundary to the Feathered Peaks. He was giving his sisters one last hug before leaving.
A part of him wanted to stay. But he knew that going to fight was the best chance of making sure that his mother and Riley made it back alive and well.
His sisters didn’t say anything. Just nodding their heads.
Even though they were as old as some of the younger Hunters in the different Guilds, their relatively protected upbringing meant that they had only really gotten to experience the real world in the past year or so. Worse yet, it was a world that had people out for their blood.
Giving the twins one last goodbye, Ezekiel donned his Spirit Armor, feeling Shine settle into his soul and merge their mana together.
Taking to the skies using the natural flight granted to all Legendary Spirits and Hunters, Ezekiel set forth to dive into battle once more.
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The trip had been a quick one. Taking only an hour or so to find the checkpoints necessary to gain access to the hidden safehouse where Riley and the other’s forces had retreated to.
Making his way into the area, Ezekiel decided that he wanted to show off a little. Imagining the looks on his mother and Riley’s faces when he entered, fully donned in his Spirit Armor.
In the back of his mind, Ezekiel felt Shine agree with his plan.
Thus, having gained access to the safehouse with his badge of friendship that marked him as an ally of the Feathered Peaks, Ezekiel strode forward, much to the shock and panic of those within the safehouse.
It took only a couple of minutes before four Legendary figures, each clad in Spirit Armor, exited the building in their own ways.
Behind his mask, Ezekiel raised an eyebrow at the two additional Legendaries, but he had been informed beforehand that Narrik and Rena had broken through and were taking part in leading the attacks against the cult. So, his surprise was short-lived.
Instead, he focused on the red clad figure that floated in the air above him. The one that had frozen in place alongside his mother’s black armored form.
There was a beat of silence as no one seemed willing to make the first move.
“Ezekiel?” Riley’s voice quietly called out to him.
Smiling beneath his helmet once more, Ezekiel dispelled his armor entirely, and walked forward.
Seeing her son, Evelyn also dispelled her armor, a second before Riley, who rushed forward, throwing herself at Ezekiel and wrapping her arms around him.
Seeing that Ezekiel was no threat to the Feathered Peak’s forces, and finally recognizing him for who he was, Narrik and Rena called off their fellow Hunters and Mages.
But Ezekiel ignored this as he pulled his mother into a hug alongside Riley. Simply happy to be reunited with his family after their recent time apart.
This time, with him finally whole once more.