TBATE | Emergence Beyond the End

Chapter 1 Prologue

ARTHUR LEYWIN POV:

Me and Caera emerged from the portal of the relic tomb,reality warped around me.

Then my feet touched solid ground.

Slowly, like waking from a long, deep dream, I opened my eyes.

We stepped out my gaze fell on the asura who was standing over Ellie and Mom, but his focus was on me...

"Regis, help my sister, Caera help the others" I commanded.

A wisp of purple light—dove into the dying Ellie's .

Taci stepped back, shifting his spear into a defensive position.

"Who...Arthur Leywin?" His confusion and uncertainty was palpable, laced within his tone

I realeased my aetheric intent and my aether blade lashed out.

The lightning-like tendrils of aether enveloped me, and I god steped just behind Taci.

Our weapons clashed as he spun his spear.

"I'm glad you're here," Taci snarled.

"You shouldn't be," I replied, my voice a cold white flame of anger.

I contracted my aether sword a it reaperd slicing across his ribs.

Taci stepped back, using the Thyestes Clan's Mirage Walk technique, growling in pain. I charged toward him, swinging my aether blade in an arc, he countered with the spear our weapons clashing in another explosion that sent others flying.

I paused, checking my surroundings. The impact had knocked others, including Mom and Ellie, off their feet and screams filled the chamber.

Taci whirled his spear around in a wide arc, wave of cutting mana fly overhead. i godstepped behind him realisng the aether sword i striked him moving faster than should have been possible in the hand of a human, but Taci matched strike for strike. And with each clash, the chamber quaked.

Some of Taci attacks where getting trough but i was healing while fighting him.

Suddenly a section of the chamber roof fell.

Taci's spear smote the ground. The earth shook and the dias cracked. More stones tumbled free from the ceiling, and the chamber was filled with the rush of mana forming into spells to deflect or destroy debris.

I unrealeas the aether sword and grabbed Taci's spear. The two of us strained as we wrestled for control of the weapon. Taci lashed out with knees and elbows, mana surging into his strikes, each one creating another shockwave.

I looked toward elder Rinia direction.

I heard elder Rinia's voice in my mind "use the portal! Take Taci away from here". she stared with wide and urgent eyes.

I replied 'Asuras can't go into the Relictombs.'

'Just trust me.'

Rinia's words echoed in my mind as Taci and I collided with the portal. It bulged out and away from us like the surface of a bubble, fighting back against the asura, refusing to allow him entry.

Anger burned through the fear I should've felt facing an asura. The only thing keeping it in check was the presence of my friends and family. Even within the cloud of raging emotions, I knew Rinia was right. It would be impossible to defeat Taci while keeping everyone around me safe.

The portal's surface warped to wrap around us, rippling dangerously. I could sense the aether struggling to maintain its form as we pressed against it, simultaneously attempting to accept me and reject Taci.