The chime produced by the creation of the spears could be heard all around the world, from people atop the highest peaks to people down in the lowest caves. While anyone who heard it was confused for a moment, they all returned to their normal lives— All except for one.
Starlight ran out of her shack and looked around, seeing the spears floating high above Scorched Earth. She acted immediately. Starlight teleported around the world and found Laethus somewhere in the Northern Continent. She said nothing and imbued him with an odd magical power. His throat began to feel like it was stinging.
"What was—" Laethus stopped. He could speak the common language all of a sudden. Starlight wasted no time and took him around the world with teleportation. The two talked to every king and queen on Balance. Starlight would attempt to mime the events about to take place while Laethus translated her signs, telling every ruler to get their civilians into safe zones. Once they were done speaking to everyone, Starlight began the final phase. She went around the world and placed large domes of magic around every city and small town. One hand could hold sixteen domes; Each finger of hers could hold three domes for every bend in the said finger, while her wrists could hold one dome up each.
She stood in the middle of the world, both hands clenched into tight fists and bent down. Thirty-two domes stood on Balance, with twenty-eight protecting all of the towns and the remaining four being used to protect extra sites: One for the entirety of the northern mountain range, one for the Spear of the Sky, one for the Cauldron, and one for the fortress known as Blight. The fourth spear fell from the sky.
Nameless ran away and jumped off of the plateau, landing in the water below him. He had lost all of his magical powers now that Underworld was no longer in his mind and buffing him. He swam as fast as he could and managed to reach the land. He ran to the closest town he saw, initially terrified of the barrier that encased it, but let out a sigh of relief when he found that he could just walk right through.
Flare stood up and ran to the edge of Scorched Earth, stopping to look back at Underworld. He was standing there. He did not attempt to run or escape as if he was accepting his fate. The final spear fell from the sky. Flare quickly turned to jump off but was too late as the final spear would soon hit the ground.
Time came to a complete stop. A small ball of light slowly rose from where the spear made contact with the ground. Starlight grabbed Laethus and held him tightly in her arms. The two braced for impact as the ball slowly fell from the sky and touched the ground.
A monstrous explosion erupted, covering the entirety of the surface of Scorched Earth without going over the edges of the plateau. It let out a shockwave that shook the world to its core. Trees flew back, some being ripped out of the ground. Oceans raged and sent out huge waves that devastated anything in its path, only being stopped by the barriers around the towns. The earth began to crack and holes appeared all around the world.
The civilians inside the barriers looked on in horror and began to panic, thinking they were going to die despite being fully protected and unable to feel the planet's tremors. Laethus would've been sent flying through the air if Starlight wasn't holding him. Starlight kept her feet planted in the ground, barely staying upright. The explosion and shockwaves persisted for what seemed like an hour. The dome of light in the middle of Scorched Earth soon disappeared, sending out one final shockwave that shook the continents. Sections of land would break off and become separate islands. Finally, the world was still.
The domes finally dropped. They had succeeded in their task of protecting the cities they surrounded. Civilians walked out and looked around, viewing the damages. Suddenly, an odd speck of orange fell from the sky. More of those specks fell, some colored red and orange and some colored grey. It was ash. The people of Balance stared at the sky in silence. They felt free as if the weight of the world itself was lifted off of their backs. This day would become a worldwide holiday, being named "The Day It Rained Ashes." The faint sound of water splashing echoed around the world.
