The Trick to Falling in Style

Power

Despite volcanic rock forming the island, it was almost as cold as Snowchester. From the front of the group, Vermillion placed his hand out in front of him, almost expecting snow to fall into his palm from the abyssal sky above him. Only the wind whips around his fingers, inviting him to use it. Vermillion lets his hand drop. The wind doesn't slow down around him, though. It continues to blow, swirling around him and the others traveling alongside him. He closes his fist with a determined resolve flooding through his system.

The ground beneath his feet begins to slant downward, but other parts of the ground continue to be level. The decline brings him and the others into a ravine-like structure until they walk underneath the shadow of a cave roof. They continue to descend, and the roof lowers down to be parallel with the ground. The wind whistles around them, but it comes from within the depths of the cavern. The cold, too, seems to be coming from whatever is at the end of their journey. Vermillion shivers, pulling his hood back over his head to protect him from the chill.

"Get ready, pussies. We're almost there," Vermillion whispers as soon as he sees a dark purple light starting to wash across the black stone walls. He hunches his body forward as he presses up against the left wall. He places his gloved hand against the sharp rocks. The room he steps into is a huge cavern. It is formed from stone walls that are far too smooth to be natural. Something, like a powerful energy beam, blasted across them to carve out a room spacious enough to hold a supernatural creature.

The supernatural creature in question was lying dormant at the center of the room. The hot pink and silver gyroscope forming the creature's heart pulsated from within an illusory form. The creature's main body seemed to take inspiration from dragons and spiders, weaving together void-like darkness and purple light to create an appearance meant to inspire terror and awe. The most interesting part was the aura of purple fire that burned around the main body at all times. It was the one thing the Ender Heart could never mask: it's intense hatred. The Ender Heart seemed to be in a state of rest or deep relaxation, and Vermillion found himself grinning. The group had caught the Ender Heart at the perfect moment. It was distracted, most of its mental capacity was split between the other members of the council.

Everything else was against their favor. With the cavern, Crowfather didn't have much room for flight. If the Ender Heart's attention wasn't divided, Siren's power wouldn't have done a single thing against him. While Blade had a lot of fighting prowess, his ability to manipulate blood wasn't fit for an opponent that couldn't bleed. Alone, Vermillion would have been stuck playing a dodging game without getting any offensive moves in. It was only if they could work together that they stood any chance against the monster.

Vermillion tilted his head to look at the people behind him. Siren and Blade were admiring the Ender Heart, but Crowfather was looking right back into Vermillion's eyes. The vigilante wondered if his father figure was thinking the same thing he was: could they work together? It had been such a long time since they had, and it's been even longer since they've seen eye-to-eye. Vermillion knew that a lot of undiscussed emotions remained in their relationships. They might love him, but Vermillion knows they don't trust him- not fully, anyway. Vermillion doesn't blame them. He wouldn't trust himself if he was in their shoes.

Crowfather smiles at Vermillion with a nod. Vermillion's throat seizes up. They weren't thinking the same thing at all. Vermillion doesn't know what Crowfather was thinking, but that simple reassurance is enough to convince him that even if his family can't trust him, he will always trust them. They won't let him die, not when they've spent so long trying to keep him alive. They won't abandon him, not when they've spent so long trying to bring him back to them. No matter how the night ends, his family has got his back. Vermillion wonders belatedly as tears surface in his eyes if he's reading way too much into a simple gesture. He decides that is a question for another time as he pulls out his daggers, turning back to the cavern.