Legend Reborn

Chapter 39: The Final Battle

I sit up with a start, my heart pounding in my chest. The ground still shakes slightly underneath me, but I'm no longer in the deepest room of the Temple. That would explain why I didn't get crushed by a huge piece of stone. Feli's the first to notice that I'm awake, and he rushes over to hug me.

"Liza!" he says with relief. "We were worried when you wouldn't wake up, and then the ground started shaking."

"Don't worry about me. I'm okay," I reassure the Wolf. He lets go of me and helps me up onto my feet. "What's going on?"

"We don't know," Gilbert answers. He comes close to me and takes my hand in his. "It started up not long after we all woke up here."

"Honestly, we were hoping you would know what's happening," Ludwig interjects.

I shake my head. "No, I have no clue." The ground suddenly heaves, and there's a loud crashing sound from outside. "Whatever it is, it can't be good."

The rumbling seems to intensify, and we run outside to see what in the world is going on. We're partially blocked by a pillar that had fallen over and covered the bottom of the Temple's entrance. It's easy enough for us to hop over, but it explains the sound from earlier. The first thing I notice when we make it outside is how dark it's gotten. Thick, ominous clouds prevent any kind of light from filtering down below, and a gray haze covers everything like a fluffy down. It's enough to obscure the peripherals of my vision, but I can see through it easily enough.

"Everyone move!" Kiku shouts urgently.

We all jump away just as another pillar falls right where we were just standing.

"Woah," Gilbert breathes.

"How did you know that, Kiku?" Feli asks.

"Well...um..." The Eagle seems to struggle to find an answer. "I can't say for sure how I knew. I suppose I just saw it happen before it did."

"Since when can you do that?" Gilbert questions.

"Since the Temple," I reply for Kiku. "Your gift. It's the gift of foresight, as in seeing the future."

"Veeeeee~! That's so cool!" Feli beams.

"That would've come in handy a lot, like, a long time ago," Lovino mumbles.

I shoot him a warning glare. "Be nice. Kiku just saved your life."

"Yeah, I guess so," the elder Wolf twin mumbles.

Another crashing sound in the distance catches all of our attention. It echoes around the deep valley like a rumble of vicious thunder. I can't tell what that sound was or where it came from, but the Vargas brothers are already working on pinpointing its location.

"It came from over there." A light green energy radiates off of Feli as he points to the right of the Temple.

"It's big," Lovino adds, surrounded by darker green energy. "Whatever it is, it's big."

"What is it?" I ask as dread pools in my stomach.

"I...I think it's a big group," Feli says with wide eyes. "It sounds like a lot of feet marching."

"That's probably what's causing the ground to shake," the elder Wolf concludes.

"We need to leave," Kiku pipes in suddenly. "We have to go somewhere else before they get here or we're all doomed."

"Go where? What are you talking about?" Ludwig asks in confusion.

"I saw it, like I saw the pillar. We need to go somewhere more open or they'll trap us in the Temple."