Tower of God: The Flower of Earth (Slow Updates)

Chapter Fifty-Six

I rubbed my eyes to clear my sight as I was able to see as the spots of white light faded. Looking around, I saw that we were in some sort of city. A beautiful city with silver buildings that rose up to the sky, ice-like trees everywhere in between each of them like a forest, as there was black smoke billowing from a majestic looking castle that was on the hill. I looked around and realized that my friends were not around me and that we had been separated. "Crap. I have to find them. But what is this place? Why was Ewart so terrified of this memory or history of his?" I looked around and reached to grab my staff off of my backpack as I felt it vibrating ever so slightly. I looked at it to see something seeming to glow off of some of the scratches made in it, the scratches twisting themselves in the wood to seem to make two words. "Time Freeze?" I looked at it confused, before the silver and icy blue world became various shades of black and white. I blinked surprised and saw that the smoke that was coming off the building had frozen in time. "What the..."
I started walking around before I saw someone like Ewart holding a small child and running, but frozen in time and colorless. Then another. And another. All frozen in time as I was able to move, and all of them having crystals growing out of their body like my teammate as they were running in fear.

Looking back up at the smoke, I had a feeling that they were running from whatever caused that. So the best logical reason was to head towards it. But I did not know my way along these streets, and my team members were still missing. I had to find them first. Searching the street, I soon saw a familiar figure in the trees, in full color. "Weldon!" I shouted, trying to get his attention, but quickly realized he was frozen as well. "How can I undo this..." I looked at the staff, hoping it would give some hint but it stayed still, not even vibrating. Giving a sigh, I hooked it back to my backpack and tried to find footing to climb the tree. Most branches were too high for me to reach, and there were no nubs to plant my feet on as though the wood had texture, it was too smooth for me to get any traction on.

Looking up at the scout, I sighed upset, "Sorry Weldon. I'll come back for you later." I gave up, knowing there was no way that I could get up there without help. I started running down the street, looking for anyone from the team, or anyone that was colored in this black and white world.

Soon I found Dustin, frozen in some sort of conflict with some of the crystals, though they were wearing different clothes than the ones I had seen running away. "Ok, let's see if this works." I grabbed his shoulder as the time warbled around us, and the color returned to the world, as well as time being unfrozen. I yelped and barely dodged Dustin's scythe as he kept attacking what I saw to be red crystals as the blue civilians nearby ran away in fear. I pieced together what was going on, as I remembered something that Ewart had once told me forever ago. "The red crystals destroyed his village, and killed everyone he knew..." I mumbled to myself before quickly dodging a crystal sword that a red tried to attack me with.

Of all the memories that Kal had to have Ewart trigger, it was his worst nightmare, his worst memory.

I saw Dustin go flying into a building, denting it, but leaving a strange form on it, suggesting that the reds saw us as blues, or that we were in the place of blues that Ewart knew. "Dustin! We gotta go! Come on!" I shouted, and quickly tried to power up my lighthouse, but found out that I could not access it, as this place was before entering the tower. I swore under my breath. I could fight, but I wasn't the strongest or the fastest at it. I was assigned to be a light bearer to help guide my team. Not fight.

A couple of the reds noticed me and made their way over to attack me as Dustin got to his feet and saw that I was going to get hurt. "Jigu!" He shouted, "Duck!"

I saw him fling Ironwood as if it were a boomerang, the scythe swinging in the air as his yellow eyes glowed a hauntingly grey. "Shinsu Technique, Blade of Death!" The blade of the icon of Death glowed the same grey, as I quickly ducked to the ground and rolled out of the impact zone as I watched the blade tear through the attackers as if they were butter. The weapon came back towards Dustin as he caught it with one hand by the middle of the pole, before doubling over panting tiredly as the glowing faded.

I hurried over and caught him before he collapsed any more, but was unlucky enough to be there and have him throw up all down my backpack and back as I held him. One of my eyes twitched in disgust, but I was more worried about his health.

"Jigu? You ok?" He panted tiredly, wiping his mouth as he slowly sat up. "Sorry I threw up on you..."

"Yeah, I'm ok. And it's ok. Are you ok though? You're burning up." I felt his forehead and felt he was running a severely high fever.
"I'm ok. Using that shinsu technique drains me a lot. I'll be fine and dandy in a couple of days." He tried to give a reassuring smile, but I was not reassured at all. "Where are the others?"
"I don't know. I saw Weldon on the way here, but I couldn't reach him. But I have a feeling that they'll all be heading towards that." Looking over at the plume of smoke, I saw that it was much larger and that there were more starting to come off the beautiful village.

"All except for Ewart." Dustin sighed. "I have a feeling he might be having a panic attack. After the way he acted when Kal bumped him into it, he has got to be petrified."

I nodded in agreement, "He told me a while ago about how his village and people were destroyed by the red crystals. He's relieving the genocide of his people all over again."

"We have to find him. I'll head towards the castle-like thing if you want to head to the fires over there and see if you can find anyone else. We may not have access to your lighthouses, but I think our pockets still work, but only if we find each other. Cause I only see you on the list."

"I think you're right. It might be the only way that we can find everyone and hurry and finish this. This is a bad memory, Dustin. And this floor makes them worse."