Spectacular World

A Chapter Opens

A roaring inferno raged across Oleander, tearing down everything in its path, be it building or person.

The sound of battle cries, cursing, and screaming almost seemed louder than the rumble of collapsing buildings or the roar of the invading monster that went out of its way to attack anything that moved.

Children wailed in their parents' arms as they were carried across the last bridge that stood, the only way left out of the city.

Cinder did her best not to groan. The creature had hit her only once, and yet she was sure this was the worst pain she had ever felt in her short life. She quietly fastened the straps to the silver shield that hung on her arm.

"You, okay?" The voice of Poseidon almost caused her to jump.

Cinder nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine." As far as she knew, it was just her and Poseidon that were left standing. Mr. Larison, Myth, Snowdawn... Even the Victorian. The others were all...

"Good. Because here he comes." The water twisted and formed, rising out of the river beneath the bridge they guarded. It developed into a large trident, which Poseidon gripped tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

Cinder felt part of her life leave her when she finally saw the thing that had caused this nightmare. It ripped past another building with ease and was covered in molten metal. The nearby stone began to melt from the heat the thing radiated. It approached menacingly, not even bothering to look at the two of them; its eyes focused on the group of fleeing civilians behind them.

"We have to win," Poseidon stated, pointing her trident forward.

Cinder nodded and gripped her shield tighter. Smoke rose from her skin, and her costume ignited as she became a blazing inferno. Both of them powered up into their Lord states. "Then I guess we'll win."

And with that, their battle began... A battle to take down a Calamity that had arrived on planet Earth. A battle to take down the Beast from Space, which was currently rampaging.

This was it. The final battle was about to begin-

The world cracked. Everything began to fade and break away as the Paths that formed this vision came undone. Whisper sat there, feeling her eyes burn for a moment as the glimpse she had just seen in the future crumbled and faded away. Already the sounds, sight, and emotions she had just felt when she bore witness to it were vanishing along with it.

It was like waking up and being unable to recall what happened in your dream. All that remained was a strange sense of dread. Dread that Whisper couldn't place as her mind blocked out what she had just seen. As the Paths fully faded away and the real world came back into view, the first thing that Whisper noticed was a palm waving in front of her face.

"Yo!" Cinder leaned over her teammate and brought her hand up and down slowly. "Earth to Whisper? You there? I don't have to kiss you to get you to wake up, do I?"

Whisper finally moved, her eyes turning to look at Cinder. "Sorry, but the only people on this team I'd be willing to lock lips with are the men, like Battery or Myth." The girl shrugged.

"What about me?" Snowdawn asked, looking back at the two girls from where he set up front.

"I said what I said." Whisper giggled softly. It was a fake laugh, though. Her body kept twitching a bit and looking around, still processing everything.

"Are you really okay?" Cinder asked in a worried tone. "You were spacing out for a bit."

"Sorry. I get that way when I use my power to look at the Paths." Whisper said sheepishly.