NOVPUBThe spirit king's devouring field moved like the shockwave of a nuclear bomb. Fast. Too fast.
Time itself seemed to slow. Even the paragons back at the alliance had no grasp of the devastation unraveling across the world.
They remained still, frozen, unable to comprehend what was truly happening. Their speed, their perception… nowhere near enough.
In all of Eldoralth, only five individuals had the luxury of moving.
The first was the one responsible for this apocalyptic collapse in the first place, the Spirit King.
Then there was Whisker, who had taken Noctis' place as guardian of the alliance. Somehow, he'd found a pack of popcorn and was mid pop when he felt the devouring field beginning to consume the world.
'It's always one problem or the other. I really need a vacation,' he groaned.
The last three were the targets of the Spirit King's wrath.
Ozeroth, who moved with a speed incomprehensible to most of Eldoralth's inhabitants, tried, and failed, to outrun the abyss closing in on him.
He had been seconds from obliteration before he spotted the final two figures in all of Eldoralth who were still able to move.
Noctis, his glowing eyes locked on Ozeroth, looked more excited to see the prideful warrior than concerned by the approaching apocalypse.
And beside the furry beast hovered a boy who looked as calm as he was dangerous.
Atticus.
His multicolored eyes shifted from Ozeroth to the still form in his arms, Zoey. And in that instant, the entire world seemed to freeze again.
He had fought twin siblings who had loved each other deeply, so deeply they'd chosen to die together. He'd killed them, yet felt nothing.
He had stormed the Zorvan world, massacred their people, annihilated their beasts, laid waste to their lands. And still… he had felt nothing.
But now… 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝔲𝔟.𝔠𝖔𝖒
As he looked upon Ozeroth, seconds away from vanishing for good.
As he looked upon Zoey, still in his grasp…
Atticus saw red.
He raised his arm. And time resumed.
Ozeroth reached them, his body halting abruptly mid air, his breathing ragged.
It was absurd.
The devouring field was absolute. It consumed everything, even Wills. No force had ever been known to stand against it. Unless one's Will vastly outclassed that of the Spirit King, their death was certain.
Ozeroth knew this. And he knew Atticus's current Will still wasn't enough.
He knew all this, and yet… he had still stopped.
It was hard to wrap one's head around the level of trust he placed in Atticus. Enough trust to stake his life.
But it couldn't be helped. Atticus had never failed him before and he wasn't going to start now.
The devouring field reached them, abyssal black threatening to erase them from existence.
But in that instant, multiple orbs of brown and blue manifested around them, enveloping them in a shifting veil. In the next second, the orbs fused.
A blinding flash. A silver burst.
And then… nothing.
They vanished.
There was no cataclysm. No explosion.
The devouring field passed through the space they'd occupied as though they had never existed. And continued on its path.
"Bond! What the hell took you so long!" Ozeroth's voice echoed within the veil of the singularity surrounding them.
The devouring field could only consume what existed. And right now, none of them did.
"Kuu!"
Despite everything, Noctis saw this as the perfect time for a cheerful reunion. His massive tongue rolled out and drenched Ozeroth in slobber.
"W-what?! Now's not the time, Noctis!" Ozeroth yelped, pulling away in disgust.
Noctis tilted his head, ears drooping, a low whimper escaping him.
Ozeroth sighed, wiping his face, but before he could speak, Atticus's voice cut in.
"The Spirit King did this?"
Ozeroth turned to him. "Yes. But he's on his last rope now, thanks to your girlfriend over there."
"Zoey?"
Atticus's eyes narrowed.
"We'll talk about that later," Ozeroth said quickly. "First, we deal with this. That was his last card. A final attempt to take us with him."
"And a huge chunk of Eldoralth," Atticus added.
He couldn't see anything beyond the singularity. Couldn't sense the outside world, because he no longer existed within it. But he had seen the devouring field… and it had shown no signs of slowing.
If left unchecked, it would take a massive portion of Eldoralth with it.
Noctis blinked, glancing between the two of them, clearly lost on what was happening.
But Atticus suddenly turned toward the direction Ozeroth had fled from. His expression shifted.
"Get ready," he said, voice calm. "We're fusing."
…
In the middle of the abyssal black field threatening to swallow everything, the Spirit King hovered.
Since he had descended upon Eldoralth and began his mission, his expression had never once changed.
But in this brief moment, where everything turned to shit, a frown appeared on the Spirit King's face.
He was tall and confident. He was graceful. He was a king. He was many things.
However, now, he was an angry king.
His plan had been perfect. It hadn't been his original plan, but he had adjusted it flawlessly, to the point where everything should have gone perfectly.
Atticus had gone off-world. It had been the perfect chance to descend and establish his presence by trapping the boy in the Zorvan realm.
His conduit wouldn't last long, especially with all the power he was funneling into her. But by the time Atticus found his way back to Eldoralth, he would have already completed his goal.
He'd encountered Ozeroth, but that had been accounted for. The boy hadn't been able to stand against him in the spirit world, there was no way that was going to change now.
Everything was supposed to go smoothly. But he had missed one variable.
Just one fucking variable.
The stupid drake.
'Her death was merciful.'
The Spirit King was furious. He was trying to gain power to protect the world, and yet the people he sought to protect had betrayed him?
It stung. And he couldn't help but think Lumindra's death had been far too peaceful.
'I will capture that foolish girl and punish her in your place.'
He had absolute control over his devouring field. He could choose to consume Ozeroth and leave Zoey, to torment later.
The Spirit King raised his arm with a cold gaze, accelerating the field. Just as it was moments away from swallowing the duo… they vanished.
The Spirit King's eyes constricted.
'Where…?'
