The Chronicles of Earth and Time

Chapter 17

Once the light from the elemental stones faded, Ustrina opened her eyes to find Terra hovering in the air with an eerie blue glow surrounding her body. "How are you alive?" Ustrina demanded as she looked into Terra glowing green eyes glaring. Terra stared down at Ustrina who was trying to appear fearless and tough. Terra could see past this though. Ustrina was just putting up a brave front, but Terra could see the fear lingering behind Ustrina's ember eyes.

"I was saved." Terra replied in an echo voice that sounded like many voices speaking in unison. Ustrina stumbled back in fear as she realized that the voices that were speaking along with Terra's voice belonged to Aura and Aqua. Ustrina mustered up her courage and used a jet of fire to boost her up into the air. She was now facing Terra who continued to just stare at her emotionlessly. Ustrina then noticed Aura and Aqua's elemental stones wrapped around Terra's wrists. They were glowing brightly along with Terra's own elemental stone that hung around her neck.

Suddenly, Ustrina reared her arms back and threw a blast of fire at Terra. The blast shot through the air aiming right at Terra's head. Terra watched as the blast made its way toward her head. When it was about to hit Terra, Terra moved her head to the side causing the blast to fly right past her. In a fiery rage, Ustrina threw a wave a fire at Terra. Terra saw this coming and quickly raised her arms. Before the fire could hit Terra, the earth shot up and encased her in a ball of dirt and rock. Ustrina continued to blast the sphere frantically until it finally fell to the ground with a thud. Ustrina slowly approached the giant rock and looked over it curiously.

"Come out!" Ustrina shouted in the eerie silence as she caught her fist a flame and slammed it hard onto the surface. A crack appeared along the surface as it spread in one direction across the rock slowly. Ustrina waited a moment until the sphere split open like an egg. Ustrina glanced inside expecting to see Terra's body inside; however, when she looked, there was nothing, but a small tunnel leading underground. Ustrina quickly turned around to look for Terra. When she turned, Terra was standing directly behind her staring with her frighteningly, glowing eyes. Ustrina jumped back in fear then tried to jump in the air to fly away from the murderous glare Terra was giving her. As soon as Ustrina got into the air, she felt something grab a hold of her ankle. Ustrina quickly looked down to see a vine wrapped around her ankle and slowly growing up her leg. Terra watched as Ustrina tried to burn the vine off her leg. She had coated the vine in an endless amount of water to shield the vine from burning completely off. Suddenly, Terra willed the vine to slam Ustrina into the earth a couple of times like a helpless ragdoll until Ustrina was left in the center of a crater.

Ustrina slowly got up with a limp and saw Terra slowing approaching her. Ustrina franticly surrounded herself within the center of a wall of fire that completely surrounded her. She grabbed her head in frustration. She needed to think of a way to defeat Terra, but Terra was being fueled by three elements and Mother Nature's power. More importantly, Terra was mad and upset that Gaia, Aion, Aqua, and Aura were dead. It also did not help that Ustrina had betrayed them.

Suddenly, Ustrina saw Terra walk straight through the wall of fire. Terra had coated herself in water that shielded her from being burned by the fire. Ustrina watched as the water steamed around Terra creating a ghostly illusion of a Gaia for a moment. Ustrina screamed in frustration and fear as she made a grab for Terra's neck like she had before. This time, however, Terra was ready and grabbed Ustrina's wrist before she could even make contact with Terra's neck. Terra stared blankly at Ustrina as she struggled to release her wrist from Terra's tight grip. Ustrina watched as Terra slowly lifted up her other hand for Ustrina to see. Terra suddenly snapped her fingers causing Ustrina to flinch and close her eyes. Ustrina waited for something to happen behind her closed eyes, but nothing happened. When Ustrina finally decided to open her eyes, she saw that Terra's hand had turned a sickly gray color with an ashy glow illuminating from the ends of her fingertips. Ustrina's eyes widened in fear for she knew this was one of the many powers of Mother Nature. Just as Mother Nature had the power to give life to different spirits, plant life, and animals, she also had the power to take it away. It was rare for Mother Nature to take away life for she was responsible for giving it more than taking it away. However, since Terra had received the power of Mother Nature, it was possible for her to take Ustrina's life. Ustrina knew what happened when life left a spirit naturally. They lived an afterlife of happiness, but she did not know what happened to the lives that were taken away by Mother Nature herself and she did not want to find out.