He almost couldn't hear it over the howling wind. Why was it so windy? The thought had just crossed his mind. Which was weird, since he felt like, he had been standing there for ages.
A girl in the middle, trying to make her way through the crowd of people, waved her hands at him, from far out in the distance. Tobi squinted his eyes, trying to make out who she was, or what she was saying, but it was too difficult.
He tried moving a little closer, but his body wouldn't budge. Leaving him with only the ability to move his head, as he looked around noticing dark energy, swirling around him. Tobi started to panic. He felt stuck as if he was in a lucid dream.
The yelling got even louder, as the person kept struggling to get his attention. He looked back at the crowd, trying to find the person once again.
"Wa..." She had gotten closer, but he still couldn't hear her. "You have to snap out..." He realized that her voice sounded familiar, as the image of her started to clear up.
Kiala yelled out once more. "Wake up, Dad! Snap out if it"
Tobi was stunned, yet any words he tried to utter, failed him. His vision began to crack and split apart, then shattered, as Aurora lights brought him back to reality...
The left eye of the skull on his face, cracked and broke off, followed by the rest, crumbling apart slowly. As he woke, he saw Mado and Rael in front of him with Kiala, floating in a dome of reinforced glass.
She was smashing her hands on the glass, screaming at him, while trying her best to break out.
"It looks like you've had your hands full." Rael's expression had not changed much, but he seemed slightly more disturbed by what he was witnessing. "What is this?"
Mado grunted and began to gather up energy. "The Abomination. We have to eliminate him. He must be the one that 'it's' searching for."
Rael looked Tobi over once more, then sighed. "It seems you may be right. Those markings and that colour, it has to be a bad omen. Do you think that 'they' are coming back soon?"
Mado shook his head slowly. "For now, if we kill him here, he can't be taken. We could cripple it's power."
Rael nodded, matching his brother's energy as spheres of destruction manifested before them, aiming for Tobi. It had started to become bleak, as Tobi frantically thought of a way out.
Suddenly, out of Dargan's skies, hundreds of thousands of green-robed soldiers, descended, landing around the group in formation. Every, one of them wore masks, concealing their identity, except one. The ones on the front line landed kneeling, with their fists striking the ground, as ice froze the four being ambushed in place, within an instant.
Rael, melted himself free almost instantly and looked around, while Mado erupted flames in anger, melting his restraints and asserting his presence. The soldiers closest to them wore special-op outfits, in contrasts of light and dark green, with light hooded robes over their heads.
A soldier in the distance, blew a large horn, as some of the ones in front parted way and created a path for a short old man to pass through. He had nearly the same attire but with hints of red and no mask. His aura and presence signified royal status. He made his way through the crowd and into the clearing, then stopped and pulled back his hood.
Mado rolled his eyes, realizing who it was. "Akio Rahmanaka... So you've finally come out of hiding?"
The elderly man looked to be entering his early 70's but walked with the physique of someone in their youth. His appearance was of Asian descent, along with the rest of his people, with some having the characteristics of people in South East Asia.
"If you mean living a life of peace, away from war and bloodshed. Then yes I have returned." Akio responded, with a sly smile on his face.
Mado grunted, placing one hand on his sword, then continued to his main point. "May I ask, what is the reason for your interference in our affairs? We have given your people, the respect of solitude. Don't tell me you're tired of living?"
Akio let out a light chuckle. "Well, you see... You seem to have run into some interesting people. I'd like to request, for you to leave them be for today."
Tensions rose immediately between the both of them, causing some soldiers to feel nausea and dizziness, as their wills clashed.
Mado smirked, then broke the silence. "Forgive me, I can't seem to find a good reason to grant your request. I'm sure you can feel it too can't you?" He nodded over at Tobi. "He must be what the Dark One has been searching for. We can't allow him to live."
Akio took a deep breath, calming himself back down. "I am aware of what you're saying, but he may also be the light, that saves us from it. We won't know if you stop him now."
Mado began drawing his sword slowly. "I disagree. For my people's future, I must kill him now."
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Akio smiled. "We are aware of your impatience, King Mado. However, you should know, that you are surrounded, by land, air, and space. With 25 million of my kin, ready to give their lives on my order."
He took a step forward, with both hands behind his back, covered in the gold sleeves of his robe, tailored specially for him. "Question is, are you prepared?"
Mado grinned at his proposition. "It doesn't matter how many insects-"
"Let me stop you there." Rael stepped forward. "My apologies Great Elder Akio. It seems we may have spent too much time here. We'd best be on our way."
Furious, Mado looked at his brother, wondering what he was doing. However, Rael just shook his head and glared at him. He looked back around, seeing the death stares from all the soldiers in their vicinity. Then let out a light chuckle, sheathing his sword back into its sheath.
"Very well. We'll leave you be for today. However..." He turned around to face Tobi, then delivered him a promise. "This is a formal declaration of war, on behalf of Kiros and the Great Realm, on you and your people. We will soon be coming for that blue planet and your head."
Rael placed one hand on Mado's shoulder and with a couple of cracks in the air, they disappeared off the face of the planet. Tobi dropped to his knees, as the rest of his transformation went undone. The glass holding Kiala shattered as it hit the ground.
Kiala got up and ran to check on Tobi. "Are you alright?"
Tobi nodded, keeling over like he was about to vomit. "I'm good, just feeling a bit nauseous. How about you?"
Kiala let out a sigh of relief, then turned her attention towards Akio and the people around them. "I'm ok, just need to make sure we're still safe first."
She focused her attention on Akio. "Thanks for saving us, but what do you want?"
Tobi quickly looked up at her. "Don't be rude."
Akio shook his head and stepped forward. "It's fine. My name is Akio Rahmanaka, the Great Elder of the Rahmanaka Clan. What may I call you, foreign warriors?"
They both looked at each other, as Kiala helped Tobi up. "My name is Tobi, Commander of the Beyond Space Force and this is..." He looked over at her and then looked back. "Kiala, my daughter... I would like to express my gratitude, for your help in turning back those invaders. However I have to wonder, are there any other reasons why you have brought such a large company, to our Solar System."
Akio looked around at his people, then looked back at Tobi. "May I ask, is she able to wield all five of the elements that govern nature?"
Kiala smirked, as she faced one palm up. "Of course she can."
Five orbs manifested, around her and Tobi, each separately exhibiting traits of fire, earth, ice, electricity, and telekinetic force, as cracks lined the orb holding air. Tobi watched her do all of this, feeling a little bit proud. Several of them murmured amongst themselves, then got up and got closer, then kneeled, as the rest followed suit like a large ripple in a in a silent lake.
"What's going on?" Kiala was confused.
Akio smiled, understanding her confusion. "You see, we were given a revelation from the Legendary Rennayan from over 1400 years ago, stating that someone would come and surpass her, to defeat the Dark One... For you to look so similar to her... Forgive my people, but they were insistent on coming to see you for themselves."
Tobi and Kiala were shocked, unable to speak as they looked around themselves and saw some sobbing, while others were excited to witness the moment. They suddenly understood, why they might've been saved.
"There is one more thing." He turned his attention back to Tobi. "My people are nomadic, not by nature, or choice, but for survival. Since Atlas had taken over a majority of the Galaxy, it had been difficult for us to settle in any solar system for a long period of time. As a result, our agriculture has been in constant decline along with our population, for the last 20 years."
Tobi started to notice, that most of the people around them, were all malnourished. It was hard to tell through their robes, but he could feel their energy dwindling, like dimly lit candles.
"What is the population of your people?" Tobi wanted to know what he was getting himself into.
Akio pointed up, as a planet came out of camouflage looking like a Moon from Dargan. "At the moment, 2.5 billion. Next week it will be 2.4."
Tobi held himself back, trying not to bite his fist, as Kiala blurted out. "That's a lot of people! Dad, can't we help them?"
Tobi looked at Kiala, whose expression had turned sad, after hearing the news, then at Akio, who bowed for more sympathy.
He rolled his tongue inside his cheek, then rubbed his chin and ruffled his hair, thinking over everything. "Fine. We'll help you..."
People burst into tears, as others rejoiced. It had started to get loud as chatter picked up amongst the soldiers. Akio raised one hand noticing Tobi still wanted to speak and they died down.
"I must consult with the World Leaders of Earth, but if you join the Beyond Constitution, you may stay in our Solar System. For now, I will have someone send rations and emergency packs as a starter." He added.
Akio dropped to his knees, bowing as a tear flowed down his cheek. "Thank you."
Thousands of light years into the Galaxy...
Alcra coughed up large amounts of blood, as she held onto her stomach. Atlas raised one hand up, as she simultaneously floated up with his telekinetic force. "So tell me, what happened to your siblings, that you sent behind my back."
The princess shivered in fear as she slowly spoke up. "They were all killed."
He looked at her with a solemn expression, then dropped his hand down quickly, as she followed suit, smacking hard into the ground and breaking it up. He then began swinging his hand around, like a conductor of a symphony, as Alcra went flying into his palace walls.
As a ragdoll for a few minutes, until the emperor felt satisfied. Leaving her be, in the corner of the room, while he went on to gaze out of his window. She slowly got up from where she was dropped and returned back to kneeling before him.
Her wounds started to heal back slowly, as her face formed back to normal, with her eye-popping back in. "There is one ship that survived and didn't participate in the fighting... They recorded most of the events that happened after, including their battle with the Dark Kings... It seems the Rennayan has some unnatural traits and there is another just like him. They may be their offspring."
Atlas continued to gaze out of his window, pondering. "Very well, send the footage over. Destroy everything and everyone on that ship. If they couldn't protect my children, I don't want them." He turned back around to face her. "Rise."
She stood up, as he looked at her, noticing some of her deepest wounds taking time to heal. He raised one hand, helping the last of her wounds close up. "Losing Tasaria and Sohzyn is a major blow to our forces. From now on, we will be moving more carefully. Give the rest of the Empire a 'Priority One' alert and begin preparations for war."
Alcra nodded. "Yes, Father."
She turned around to leave, but before she got too far, he spoke up, with a lethal tone. "Alcra, don't go behind my back again."
She turned her head back slightly before exiting. "Of course Father."