The creature gracefully furled all six of its wings, enveloping itself and effortlessly deflecting Cesar's spear. With a swift and brutal motion, it disemboweled Al before casually discarding his body. It then freed itself from the chains that had bound it to Al, slowly unwrapping the top of its head to reveal a terrifying visage adorned with numerous eyes.
The creature closed all of its eyes, except for one, generating an intense and blinding flash of light. As the brilliance engulfed the area, temporarily robbing everyone of their sight, it closed in on Jin.
In that moment, a faint glimmer of relief emerged as Al's regenerative abilities gradually mended his torn organs, allowing him to rise to his feet. The colossal nine-foot monstrosity found itself impaled upon the piercing hook-like knife attached to Al's chain. With its pike-like hand mere meters away from Jin, who trembled in the face of imminent death, he managed to summon his last reserves of strength, evading the creature's reach. He conjured a potent lightning bolt, channeling it towards the lone remaining embryo.
As the whisps of smoke entered Jins stone familial emblem, the embodiment of his ethereal shell, it emitted a distinctive blue radiance. A transformation was occurring, yet the creature, driven to a frenzied state, forced itself forward, ignoring the crooked blade that Al wielded.
With astonishing velocity, it hurtled towards Jin, who found himself unable to manifest his Lightning Will, his ethereal shell undergoing a mysterious metamorphosis. In a moment of desperation, Cesar, unleashed a gusting tempest with a single, resolute slash of his spear, managing to divert the creature just enough to grant Jin a fleeting reprieve.
Reunited at Cesar's side, alongside a fully recovered Al, Jin urgently spoke, his voice laced with a tinge of fear, "That abomination is a Dawn-keeper. None of us stand a chance against it. We have to run"
Both Cesar and Al concurred, realizing the impossibility of outrunning such a swift adversary. Before they could ponder their next move, the creature lunged at Cesar, violently knocking Jin and Al aside with the force of its colossal wings.
Cesar steadied his breath, realizing that his exotic Wind Will flowed more naturally through his Muay Thai techniques. When he shared this insight with Romann, the seasoned mentor acknowledged that Cesar's unfamiliarity with the spear was likely the cause.
Fortunately, Cesar found solace in the fact that his foundation in Muay Thai provided a valuable framework for mastering the spear—an observation Romann had also made. Over the course of two months, Cesar discovered a profound truth: the spear and his fists were one and the same.
Thus, when confronted by the charging nine-foot Dawn-keeper, Cesar remained composed, assuming his Muay Thai stance with a slight modification. Gripping his spear firmly, he directed its sharp point directly towards the approaching enemy.
As the Dawn-keeper thrust its pike-like appendage towards him, Cesar mirrored its movement, unleashing a dragon-like thrust with his spear. Like a sinuous serpent, it deftly maneuvered alongside the creature's pike, producing a delicate gust of wind that diverted the pike away from Cesars neck, causing it to miss. Meanwhile, Cesar's spear adapted to the creature's agile maneuvers.
The Dawn-keeper's astonishing speed made it challenging for Cesar to strike its head directly, but he managed to slice through the side of its face, tearing away a handful of its numerous eyes. Enraged, the creature swung its other regular arm forcefully at Cesar, sending him hurtling towards Jin. In a remarkable display of reflexes, Jin caught Cesar, preventing him from crashing to the ground.
Gently placing Cesar on the ground, Jin couldn't help but be deeply impressed by his Captain's calmness and precision amidst the chaos. Turning his attention back to the looming Dawn-keeper, Jin found himself no longer clutching the familial emblem. Instead, he now wore a regal platinum gauntlet adorned with the Takahashi character.
YOU ARE READING
An Illusion of Will
FantasyLeft or Right? Two choices are given, one decision is made. Up or down, we find ourselves in a box. We call the outcome our fate or destiny. Change is the burden born from the choices made along the way. What is down comes up, what goes up comes dow...
