Turning to Stone 3: Acceptance (Rewritten)

Prologue: The Split

Galvana couldn't save them now.

To the monsters below, it seemed like everything was falling apart. Little did they know, it actually was. Meteors rained down from above as Starhenge collapsed, like the celestials themselves were raining their fury down. But this was not the work of the celestials, for they too were suffering. Trapped in their new stone prisons, unknown to the mortal monsters.

There were no gods to blame.

The mortals screamed in panic and fear, some getting hit and trapped or killed by the falling fiery stones. "Where are the celestials?" A quarrister's voices rose above the sound somehow. "They're probably dead!" A potbelly snapped back, attempting to run away, pot thunking against the ground with every jump they made. Not like that was heard, the only sounds were of impact and terror.

"Quiet, everyone!" A kayna had somehow made it safely onto a pile of rubble. "Don't panic! We need to stay calm and stick together!" But only a few listened to her. "We have to find shelter!"

Whether it was from her words or just pure instinct, the remaining monsters scrambled to find a place to stay. Those better suited for the cold headed for the mountainous region of the continent, hiding in the mines. Flying monsters brought others over to hide within arches and caves on the dusty, rocky area on the opposite side. Plant monsters took cover where they stood, on the green area normally filled with life. Water monsters migrated to their own place on the continent, although some of them did try and simply dive into the ocean. Where the earth monsters went was one of the least liked places available, but it was the only one with space.

The kayna who had taken up a leadership role took some of the fire monsters, leading them down into a secret network of caves until they made it to the safest place on the island. The sounds above faded to nothing as they walked, and the monsters following her slowly felt more at ease. She realized much too late that no cold nor water monsters followed her, but that would only be a problem later. For now, they were safe.

They made it at last to the sleeping colossal, a new island of their own. "Where are we?" Some of the confused monsters asked. "Our new home. We have no choice but to stay here. It may look ragged and inhabitable, but we will make it our home. Our haven, Fire Haven."

The monsters cheered, attempting to forget their worries about anyone they may have left behind. They had no idea they were witnessing an extinction event taking place. They rested, exhausted by their journey and from the chaos still occurring above them, and once they awoke, they began building their new home. Trees and rocks were uprooted and removed, and a glorious castle was built for them to live in. They built bakeries to cook food and sustain themselves. The colossal beneath them slept, its singular eye never opening.

They may have started out with next to nothing, but here, they could thrive.

Above them, the pieces of the continent broke apart, unable to handle the stress of the falling rocks. The land slowly drifted apart, and the monsters were losing hope. The remaining colossals had to do something, so they bound themselves to the land. They became the islands, separating to keep the monsters living on them alive.

The different lands named themselves, Plant Island, Cold Island, Air Island, Water Island, and Earth Island. All of them went through similar processes as Fire Haven, building life for themselves in a new environment. It may have been the same land that made up their former home, but the colossal's possession changed it somewhat, and it was very different. Yet they persevered. They would not go out easily.

Yet some monsters already had. Many of the casualties were fire monsters, and the only ones remaining were on Fire Haven or were hidden within smaller caves, waiting for an opportunity to have their own island. With the new elemental makeup of each island, there was simply no place for most of the fire monsters, especially quad-element monsters, to be. So the flames were extinguished. These species of monsters would never walk the lands of the monster world again, at least not for a very long time. Even for the ones that did live, they were hidden away. Many monsters thought Fire as an element was gone for good.

(Rumor had it that some eggs could have been preserved in amber, to be revived later, but those were just hopeful tales spread amongst the survivors in hope that their element didn't completely die out.)

On Electric Island, the wubboxes were getting restless. So they ventured out beyond their homes, seeking friendship with the other monsters of the new Natural Islands. The monsters, seeking leadership and normality, welcomed them with open arms. The wubboxes began a strict, but regular rule, and life soon was back to normal. A different normal than before, but normal.

Almost.