At extreme speed, a figure flashes through the sky. Apexion, the battle with the outside creature flash through his mind.
.....
From the first time the creature used the symbol against him, he discovered that it was unstable, and because of that, he could see its formation process.
Because he could see how it was formed, it wasn't difficult to understand it. He just needed time.
Once he understood its creation, he automatically understood how to disrupt it and how recreate it or something Close to it.
The disruption was easy; he just needed to find one of the many key areas of the rune and destroy it.
Creation was the difficult part. He had to have a suitable power source powerful to manifest the rune; the energy in his body just wouldn't cut it. And he needed to have a certain understanding of the elements of the rune to be able to recreate it.
.....
Soon he arrived above the emperor's battlefield. He gazes down and mutters to himself, "Polluted." The crater-filled ground below was covered in black goo.
Whoosh! Boom!
He lands on the ground with so much force he created a crater 100 meters deep. Black flames then burst from his body, spreading out like waves, incinerating everything it touched within 2000 meters, including the black goo.
Apexion then turns and gazes towards a particular spot. He flashed, and in a few seconds, he arrived in front of an unconscious winged figure, Thaddeus.
Thaddeus was lying on the ground motionless, and his body was devoid of any injuries, as if he wasn't just in a life-and-death battle. His facial expression kept changing, sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes angry.
Apexion scanned him. 'Polluted.' He sensed a foreign aura inside Thaddeus's mind; it was slowly corroding him.
Apexion didn't doubt that in a few days, the original Thaddeus would be gone, replaced by an entirely new being, most likely the WILL that he just defeated.
His eyes flash. Blaze! The unconscious Thaddeus lit up in black flames; a few seconds later, only ashes were left of him.
The legendary Skyclan ancestor died just like that.
Apexion then turns towards another direction and flashes. Soon, he arrived in front of Perseus, who was also unconscious.
Apexion scanned him, also polluted. His eyes flash; Perseus also turned into ashes.
Apexion flashes again. This time he arrived in front of Mal, who lies on the ground, eyes closed. Unlike the others, he was muttering something: "Mother, mother, look at me. I have finally awakened my innate ability... I am no longer a weakling. From now on, I will protect you, brother, and Ava... What? Mother, you are happy. I know you wo-"
Splat! Blaze!
Apexion ruthlessly steps on his head, exploding it, then setting it ablaze, erasing Mal, the strongest king-rank warrior.
He then flashes again.
.....
At the same time, a far distance from the primal continent, a blue ship sped through the endless blue water. Ava, who was lying on a bed, suddenly opens her eyes. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
She places her right hand on her chest; her face keeps changing from one expression to another, confusion and pain...
She felt as if she had lost something precious. Her will explodes out, scanning almost every inch of the ship. Her brow frowns, then she vanishes, reappearing in front of her son, who also had tears flowing from his eyes.
Seeing her, he runs into her arms. "Uwuuhuu! Mother, it hurts, my heart hurts," he cries.
Ava picked him up and pats his back while asking in a nervous and sorrowful tone, "Where is your papa? Have you seen him anywhere?"
"Sniff, sniff! Papa? Yes, I saw him before the sun went down," Malavan answered in a somewhat quivering tone.
"You saw him, good. Where is he? Where did he go? Did he say anything to you?" asks Ava in an eager tone.
Malavan pauses for a second, as if he is thinking, then answers, "Hic... I-I remember now, we were on the ship deck. He was telling me about his adventures, how he slayed an evil beast that was trying to destroy a village, how he was the strongest king-rank warrior." He shouted with a slightly cheerful expression, then as if remembering something, his expression turns sour, and he continues in a saddened tone,
"When all of a sudden, Papa's aura changed, and my body froze. I-I was so scared. Papa then looked me straight in my eyes and said, 'Become strong and protect your mother.'"
"And what happened after that?" asked Ava.
Hearing her, Malavan squints his eyes. He was thinking hard, trying to remember what happened, but he couldn't remember anything. He gazes into his mother's pain-filled eyes and said, "I don't remember what happened after... I just woke up here, after which you showed up here.... Mother, why are you asking for Papa? Where is he? Maybe he can fix my heart."
Hearing her son, Ava's tears begin to flow from her eyes even more. Her hands wrap around Malavan tighter. 'Mal, you wouldn't.' Memories of what happened earlier flash in her mind.
.....
After days of waiting, Mal finally appeared. She was overjoyed; her family could finally be free. They sailed into the unknown water.
Malavan was excited and happy he finally met his papa. Days passed... the last thing she remembered was she and Mal were in the middle of mating when everything went dark.
Suddenly, a voice awakened her from her thoughts. "Mother, you're hurting me," shouted Malavan in a painful and tender voice.
Ava immediately loosens her grip, places Malavan on the ground, then slowly turns around and walks towards the ship deck. 'Mal, you wouldn't?'
"Mother!" shouted Malavan as he followed her.
Soon, Ava reaches the ship deck. A Skyclan member approaches her, lowers his head, and speaks, "Princess, Lord Mal has left a message for you." Ava, as if she didn't notice him, walks past him, went to the edge of the ship, and stared at the giant continent, her eyes blank. She was feeling multiple extreme emotions: heartbreak, betrayal, hate.
'Mal, since I could abandon everything for you—my parents, my people, my honor... why couldn't you have done the same and abandoned your revenge? Am I not worth more than your revenge... Aha, now that I think about it, isn't it funny? I abandon everything for you, and you abandon me for revenge... and you have failed. I can feel it; you are dead... and I am too weak to avenge you. What am I supposed to do now without you, Mal?'
"Uncle, what's the message? What did my dad say?" Malavan asks.
"He told me to tell you that he is sorry," said the Skyclan member loud enough for Ava to hear, in a somewhat complicated tone. He had somewhat guessed what had happened...
'Sorry. Just sorry,' thought Ava as she turned around. She turned, picked up her son, hugged him tight, looked at the Skyclan member, and said in a broken tone, "Increase the speed."
The Skyclan member shivered as Ava gazed at him. He felt like he was being watched by an apex predator. "Princess, we are already traveling at the maximum speed," he answered, his voice trembling.
Hearing him, Ava's eyes flash. She opens her wings wide, then flaps them. Whoosh! The force from her wings propels the ship faster into the distance.