Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Forty-Five: Isolation and Union

Ocean nodded her agreement. She glanced over at the device and saw that Liathine was shoving it into a small pocket of her leggings, keeping the communicator as close as possible while still ensuring that it wouldn't interfere with her combative abilities. There was an earpiece in Liathine's ear, something that most other groups had lacked as far as Ocean could tell. She ultimately chose to not question it, trusting instead that Liathine knew exactly what it was that she was doing. After all, they wouldn't be marching off to engage with Alba directly if Liathine and the rest of the tacticians of the castle hadn't made sure that this plan would work without a shadow of a doubt in advance. 

The gentle sound of flames crackling ultimately pulled Ocean away from her thoughts, and she let out a small gasp. Ocean and Xia's attention shifted to scanning the sky, watching for the telltale whispers of flame that would show that Flare was going into action the way that Liathine had instructed. Sure enough, levitating about ten feet in the air, was a small orb of churning Fire magic. The flames brushed against one another before being sent rocketing in the direction of the cave nearby. 

Ocean hadn't even fully taken in the sight of the cave, but once she noticed it, she couldn't bring herself to look away. It was absolutely massive, and the ground and walls both in and outside of the cave were covered in ice so overpowering and bright. It reflected the sunshine with a power that almost felt acidic, and Ocean stared in surprise at what would have been incredible under any other context. The ice was beautiful to look at, but in the same vein, it was terrifying knowing that this was where they were going to be headed. They had to charge in and take care of whatever was waiting for them inside, and Ocean couldn't help but feel her stomach flip in anxiety at the mere concept. 

The flames spread quickly, and Ocean had to wonder how much Flare had been developing her skills over the course of the weeks while the Clan Leaders were waiting on Earth to be contacted in the aftermath of the war on Daragon. Ocean couldn't seem to remember Flare being this powerful, but she certainly wasn't complaining. It only took a handful of seconds, two minutes at most, for the fire to completely consume the ice that was waiting around the outside of the cave's entrance, leaving behind only scorched dirt that showed what Alba's fortress once had been. It was amazing how Alba had changed it into her own personal domain, but at the same time, the once beautiful cave almost seemed to be pathetic when the veil of Alba's power was removed, showing nothing more than a basic area that Ocean was sure was possible even on Earth. 

As soon as the flames died out, undoubtedly at Flare's command, the air seemed to swell with something uncertain. Tuila took a step forward, gesturing for the others in her group to follow. "Come on. This is where the first step of our plan comes into play," she announced. She glanced over to Diamond, and the invisibility spell that they had cast dropped immediately. From there, Tuila started to dash in the direction of the cave, moving quickly enough to get the point across but slow enough that the rest of the group was able to keep pace with her even while dealing with the difficulty of height differences. 

The group of seven came to a stop about fifteen feet from the entrance of the cave, and Ocean found herself feeling her nerves attack her with much more force than ever before. Her mouth was dry, so she was at least glad that she wasn't going to have to talk in order to succeed in this upcoming battle. She slipped into a defensive stance, waiting for a sign that Alba was going to come out of the cave. They were going to show up sooner or later; that much Ocean, and everyone else, was certain of. It was just a matter of time. 

Sure enough, Alba's outline appeared in the entrance of the cave, pale and terrifying and with anger that barely seemed human scrawled across their face. "I didn't realize that I had company," they drawled, their voice a lazy and hollow imitation of their regular tone. They snapped their fingers together, and a distant groaning sound reached Ocean's ears. She glanced behind Alba to the inside of the cave, and the shadows began to shift behind the Lakinya of Ice.