Chapter 54
The Echo of Power
"I am everything you can't control."
~Evanescence~
Mia sat herself up and looked at Exsavior with solemn eyes. He was sleeping, in all his beautiful glory, soundlessly and peacefully—most likely a sight that would be shattered the minute he'd awaken.
But she was done crying, and she would not hold back any longer.
Standing up from the grassy spot where she laid, she began to dress herself as her bare feet tingled under the ground.
It was humid and moist, and the sky although beginning to brighten, looked pale and dark. The clouds were obviously gathering to pour down on them.
"Tomorrow is a full moon," she whispered as her eyes stared off into the distant sky, the endless space that was supposedly her home. When the words sunk in, she turned back and looked at Exsavior while spreading her wings.
A full moon just seemed so ominous.
Letting out a heave of breathe, Mia flew into the dark sky and disappeared from sight. She needed to meet up with Elias one more time now that she knew everything.
Now that there wasn't any doubt in her mind.
Flying had become natural to her, but thinking back on it, it was never hard for her to do it. Most likely because of her past life.
As Mia soared throughout the clouds, she felt the dew drops stick to her skin and evaporate within seconds. It was a cold feel, but it soothed her—it took her mind off things for a split second.
Her eyes managed to find darkness when she unconsciously shut them, but after sensing Elias's spiritual presence, they fluttered opened. Mia swooped down like a comet of light traveling towards the earth.
He never left the spot they were in—the beach of Oaken-Kami was secluded and perfect for them to have their conversation.
Landing gracefully before him, Mia was about to conceal her wings when Elias's hand grabbed her arm. He stopped her, and with no words, she let the silvery appendages free for the remainder of the night.
"Elias, my sister was a demon. I am an angel captain, created directly from the Almighty," she paused and noted his eyes watching her. They were so intense, shining like beacons of light under the dawning sky.
"Zachariah...Nathanael...," Mia's eyes dimmed as her stare fell to the ground. "Angel...she helped me. I chose this life!" And once again, she lifted her eyes to stare at him, this time with a struggling frustration, as if trying to see if he would help her comprehend her motives.
But Elias only watched, waiting for her own conclusions, and she knew this. Mia knew because, although she was frustrated, there was little to understand. Everything was made clear to her—it was now only a matter of acceptance.
"I chose to come here. Everything that happened, I influenced it all. I saved Exsavior, and then bound myself to his soul. Ilima would have never been my sister, were it not for me," she said.
"Knowing this, what will you decided?" and finally, Elias felt bold enough to speak.
There was a short hesitation on her part, but she knew the answer to his question.
"Will I be trialed?" her words were stern, working to hide her fear.
Elias did not word his response as he simply nodded.
"Then so be it—take me back to the Celestial Realm," Mia said her words, as she extended her arms towards him.
Elias closed his eyes and smiled. "Thank you, my captain," and with that said, his hands collided with hers as he too extended his arms.
They both stood by the shores of Oaken-Kami, creating a powerful aura around them. The entire area was submerged in light as the sun finally emerged and illuminated them. Within seconds, a surrounding ring of fire burst out from within them, and Mia began to feel her hands bleed.
Surprise overcame her as the vital liquid spread from them and created the Enochian sigils Elias was teaching her about.
"Don't be scared, this is natural," Elias said to her, maintaining his concentration.
Mia nodded at his words, but oddly enough, she started to feel fatigued. So much that her knees almost gave out.
"Captain, only someone of your caliber can access the gate to the Celestial Realm, if you don't resist, I won't be able to do anything." Elias continued to speak, trying desperately to keep Mia focused.
Almost on the ground now, Mia's pants were as harsh as the bright light that engulfed their bodies. Her blood continued to form and play around with the sigils, and in an attempt to remain conscious, she began to decipher them.
"Temperance, the virtue of resilience and inner strength," Mia said to herself, making the sigil glow and disappear as the blood continued.
"Justice, the virtue of righteousness and morality." When those words were said, Mia wailed in pain.
"Captain, you can do this!"
With a moan of pain, Mia's blurry eyes still followed the patterns of her blood. "Prudence, the virtue of wisdom and reason. Courage, the virtue of bravery and fortitude. Faith, the virtue of trust and self-abandonment. Hope, the virtue of expectation and goodwill." Another shattering ache overcame her body, and Mia let out a scream when her blood formed the final sigil.
The skies thundered and the clouds parted to make way for their entrance. "Love, the divine virtue of compassion, empathy, kindness and all that is pure." When these words left her lips, Mia lifted her woozy gaze to look at Elias.
He smiled at her with a beam that rivaled the glow of the lights they were showered in. "You did it, my captain." As he said this, Mia realized that they were floating.
She never let his hands go, as her strengths came back to her from the rays of the sun that no human could ever feel due to their proximity. They flew up like two statues holding onto each other, engulfed in the beautiful lights that resembled comets.
Mia recognized them, they were permeating the showering skies of the Celestial Realm. She was almost home.
"We'll go through Elysium first, after that there is no returning for us," Elias said, watching her expression for any hints of remorse.
But Mia's eyes sternly watched his as she nodded towards his words, indicating Elias that there was no hesitation.
Due to this, he shot his head up towards one of the swirling clouds that became a funnel. It was the entrance, the one that would take them through the Tunnel of Souls.
"Here we go," Elias heaved a sigh, and prepared his body. His wings loosened and he let his himself be taken by the pressure of the tunnel. During this, he tightened his grip on Mia's hands, fearing that she would leave.
A small smile danced on Mia's face, when she felt his grasp. The angel captain looked at him, using all of her remaining strengths to summon her purging power.
The bluish lights emerged abruptly from her hands, and repelled Elias into the tunnel as Mia separated herself from his hold.
Elias's eyes widened in shock, as he reached out to her fleeting form. "Captain!" he yelled out to her before becoming energy and vanishing into the Celestial Realm.
Mia shut her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry, but I cannot leave them until everything is done." It was then that she took off, unsure of how to get back to earth.
Her descend was painful and ungraceful, for her body simply fell and plummeted back into the realm of the living.
What felt like moments to her, were apparently hours in the World of the Living. The night had already fallen and slowly but surely, the sense of turmoil crawled onto her body.
She felt pained, something was amiss. Someone was hurt—hurt bad.
"Exsavior...," she whispered before flying away from the peaceful shores in search of him.
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"We're in this together right? You and I?" It was humid and dark, almost pitch black, but even like that she could still make out her eyes.
Those beautiful silver large eyes that were like no other—the very same ones that belonged to the one she loved dearly.
The girl nodded, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Ye—yes, as long as you're here with me." She smiled to her the best way she could and they both shared a hug.
"That Williams girl accused us, there is no turning back." The other girl nodded furiously, and as the steps and loud shouts started to close in on them, they both emerged from under the giant roots of the tree they hid in.
Two young girls in long sleeved tainted white dresses and dirty bonnets no older than eighteen, held each other's hands. They stood before an angry mob of men in knee-length breeches and simple wear. In their hands were what the girls could only assume to be the weapons that would threaten their lives.
If they didn't fight back of course.
"Witches! We have no tolerance for the spawn of the devil!" They all yelled they're profanities.
One of the girls, her hair darker than the night and tied in a bun, stared at her partner who shook with fear. This caused an anger to swell within her, making her eyes light up with a powerful raw energy—like an invisible wave engulfing her body.
It swirled and shook the ground. "I won't let anyone hurt my Olivia." Her voice resonated powerfully, making the mob back up in hesitation.
Nevertheless, it was only for a slight second, as they rushed in after the girls.
The action made the ground shove them backwards—an invisible force of power pushed them into the foliage, and their weapons flew out of their hands.
"Telecinesis." The words dripped from the girl, causing the men to tremble. She walked away from Olivia, and approached the closest man, the sweat trickling down his forehead out of utter dread.
"You—you are hell's child," he seethed in angry frustration, unable to do anything to defend himself.
With one smirk, the girl let her powers shower her again, this time changing the color of her hair to a bright lavender hue. The curls and buns swirled under the mystical energy like patterns of flowers.
"Die." And with that simple word, all of their weapons impaled them mercilessly, decorating the forest with countless dead bodies.
After that was done, her powers died down, and she turned back to her comrade. She gave her a smile, even under her bloodied face. "We're safe now."
But the girl would not smile back, she was still frightened—more scared of her than the mob.
The memory faded away like a bad dream, and Rose could not help but ponder over it.
'Olivia...' She loved the girl, probably more than what was thought of as the 'norm,' and now that Ezekias had done away with her, Rose couldn't sleep.
There wouldn't be a day that went by where she didn't think about the girl—where she was, if she was safe and happy.
She might have been safe, but happiness was another predicament all to itself.
Running a hand through her lavender colored rose buns, she sighed out of sloth. Ezekias was finally on the move, and out of everything he could have tasked her to do, she was put to fetch.
To find that damn wolf and ultimately push him to his limits—possibly kill him if he couldn't withstand it.
That idea felt better to Rose.
"Why on earth Master has this fixation on you, I will never understand," she said out loud the minute she came upon his slumbering form.
The presence of the angel was still lingering, but Rose did not feel her to be near—easing her nerves.
"Alright then, let's play," she extended out one of her arms as her many bracelets dangled from it. It was then that the energy she summoned made her long sleeved striped crop top sway under the whirling winds. With a menacing stare, her pupils faded to an electrical blue and with a rapid twitch of her wrist, she ensnared Exsavior's sleeping form under her grasp.
"Telecinesis." Her Active Power enabled her to flick him up into the air, breaking the wolf out of his slumber.
He howled as his body crashed with the trees.
With a groggy stance, Exsavior stood and focused on the person before him. Her striped sleeved crop top, ripped jeans and black boots adorned her body. Glossy skin and red lips made a rebel's look, an appearance that screamed defiance—she knew he recognized her.
"You're Rose," he whispered, allowing the words to create a mist of air in the sky and with it his lycan form. Exsavior shifted seamlessly with a twitch, rupturing his skin to bring forth the sea of raven fur,
His body grew in size to tower over the now much smaller girl.
But she was not impressed.
"I've seen this before and last I remember, it did nothing," she scoffed, preparing to do battle.
The words angered Exsavior as he rushed the witch, uncaring of her cackling spirit pressure that began to envelop her.
"Telecinesis!" As expected, Rose unleashed her Active Power, splashing Exsavior's torso with an invisible wave of magic.
It collided with him and forced him back, but not entirely, for it did not hit the intended spot. The wave grazed his side and Exsavior pushed his body forward with his might in order to reach the witch.
Rose's sparkling eyes widened at his speed and strength, and before she could conjure, Exsavior morphed back into his human form within a fraction of a second, increasing his speed. His clawed lethal hands searched to rip her to shreds, but the elusive witch spiked her mana. She used it as a temporary shield, slowing down his attack and enabling her to move away.
The minute she distanced herself, Exsavior landed and morphed back into the wolf, giving chase to the girl. In his wake, he left the floor icy and cold.
"Saeptum Obex!" Seeing how fast Exsavior was compared to their last fight, Rose took the defense and used her barrier of telekinetic energy to shield her as she levitated into the air.
She could only go so far up with the levitation, and as she did, Exsavior made his pursuit with his golden canine eyes shining fiercely. He was like a ferocious blood thirsty beast, and Rose was wary enough to avoid all his strikes.
'How will you permeate by barrier, this should be interesting...' Curiosity taking control, Rose remained in the air with her rise, as she watched Exsavior's giant form reach the barrier with ease.
He growled with his enormous mouth, emitting a wave of icy breath. The air thinned all over the invisible shield, causing it to become visible. When this happened, Rose gasped and hastily powered the barrier, but Exsavior turned back into his human form, only this time he was partly morphed.
His body was human but his arms were the monstrous furred appendages of his lycan side. They tore at the barrier and ripped through it like glass. It was then that with his wolfish mouth, Exsavior thundered down onto Rose's shoulder. He latched onto her, thrusting her body to the ground as he descended.
Rose bled furiously, and Exsavior spit out the flesh he tore from her as he stood in his odd form.
A daze threatened her clarity, but never once did she scream out in pain. She stood back up, wiped the blood off her shoulder, uncaring of the wound, and stared at him with eyes that mimicked death in its most antagonizing form. The witch was like a demon being poked by a beast.
"What sort of hell have you been through to not even let out a cry after that attack?" the Alpha questioned, unable to contain the surprise he felt when he saw her reaction.
Rose smirked, "oh little pup, you have no idea who you are dealing with." Her words dripped out like an ominous whisper, haunting the woods they were in. It echoed within his mind, and before Exsavior could react, he realized it was too late.
The energy emerged from her body again, this time glowing with light purple electricity at the tip of her fingers. Her eyes bubbled with static, and her hair buns became undone. They swirled with the magic, and when Exsavior saw this, he morphed back into his sturdier form.
The giant wolf reappeared once more, but the tinier Immortal remained still. She was just like those powerful witches people would read about, exuding raw magic uncontrollably.
Nevertheless, Exsavior rushed her in an attempt to take control, but his movements lagged, as if occurring within a different timeframe. The Alpha lycan was unable to reach her as swift as he did the first time.
"Tear down these walls and free my soul." Suddenly, Rose began to recite a spell with a smirk on her face, further unnerving Exsavior. Her eyes sent shivers down his spine as he froze in place.
He could no longer move, just watch—how everything around fell at the mercy of the witch's power.
The ground shook and its surface moved like a wave of the ocean. "Guide my core and give me control. Let Time not fall to the forsaking at the dawn of the souls awakening! Anima Conscientia mille de Spiritus!"
Under his breath, Exsavior roared; he battled with his frozen stasis in order to fight against the horrible power that Rose was birthing. Her body oozed raw mana, and she began to fly—not levitate, but soar through the skies. The energy she emitted changed her aspect and it stopped the wound on her shoulder from letting her blood leave her body.
At her fingertips, the purplish deadly looking blades of power flowed with grace, similarly to ribbons of light, and her hair became petals of the flower that shared her name. Each one was closely similar to shards of a glass blossom, flying around her head like a crown, and at her side were two extremely long locks of hair that fell at her feet and swayed with the mystical energy. It was hard to tell them apart from the ribbons of invisible aura, but Exsavior realized the difference the minute Rose pierced him with them.
The locks moved like snakes, a fitting mannerism that beautifully copied her ethereal eyes. With each movement, they lashed and brought out blood from the lycan.
Exsavior wailed and freed himself from the attack, lashing out at one of the locks and tearing it down—only to have it reemerge again. It was an intangible object, existing solely due to the power of Rose's telekinetic mind.
"There is little you can do now, lycan. I am the utter most perfect manifestation of the mind and soul working as one." With that said, she swooped down with an odd flight.
It appeared slow, but even like that, Exsavior could not dodge it. In addition, Rose grazed his side and wrapped him around the ribbons of energy. He screamed when his skin was showered with slashes that spewed out his blood in a haze.
'Why can't I dodge her slow movements?' he thought to himself, as he fell to the ground.
"Why? Because every thought, even before you process it, is revealed to me first." She stood over him, like a deity of death, her psychic powers warping his reality.
"Now understand the difference between a being like you and myself."
When the words left her lips, Exsavior's body began to fly, and at that moment, he felt a strangling force wrap itself around his neck. It was overpowering, trying desperately to sever him while he howled and struggled. This only stirred Rose with a cackle of pleasure.
"The pain only gets worse the more you resist."
His body became heavy and started to give way to the force that was enveloping him.
"Just realize, it's completely impossible for a lycan to defeat a witch, especially one that you can't even near," she mocked and lifted one hand.
The gesture made Exsavior's wail intensify as the choke started piercing his skin. Rose's fingers stiffened and they mimicked the hold, until her eyes darkened. Her hand closed in an attempt to finish him by taking his head.
There was a splatter of blood—so much blood.
It showered the scene and Exsavior's howls were no more.
His body fell, completely lifeless on the ground with an earthshaking thud.
"So much blood...," Rose whispered as she neared the lycan's dead body—her ribbons ripping away at any foliage that they came in contact with.
She didn't sever his head, the wolf died before she could. His neck had split, making blood spew from the wound.
"But you're not dead, are you?" Just like that, a large furred humanoid arm emerged from the body and grabbed her.
It was like that of a beast, but with human characteristics. Claws bigger than Rose herself, as she fit in his palm.
When this happened, the witch remained calm, allowing her ribbons to slice at the arm but unable to liberate her. It was then that she saw him.
Exsavior was bigger than before—he towered over the trees with a human-like body and torso that rippled with muscles and fur. His face was completely wolfish and his eyes, blood red, demonic and lost to all reason, copied the seething rage that came with his roar.
It made the air crystalize instantly, freezing Rose's ribbons.
Exsavior was a wolf like no other, resembling the fables of Odin and Fenrir—and his thirst for destruction was unleashed onto the witch.
In haste, Rose angrily worded anther spell, "Telecinesis, Accantus Conscientia!" The chant made her body tremble against the roar of the beast as a powerful blast of invisible energy emerged from within her.
It pounded at Exsavior's palms, releasing the deadly witch.
Immediately after, she flew from his grasp making the giant swat at her in fury. However, the forest trees were the only victims to the disarray of hits, clearing out the area and leaving little for Rose to escape into.
But this action made Rose laugh at the beast when she flew over him. "There will be no need to hide for me."
Another roar was shot at her, making her prepare the next attack. "Telecinesis, Imber Conscientia de flante!"
Silence made its way onto them, a forced hush that crept its way over Exsavior when Rose's spell reanimated her ribbons. They flared to life, showered with a scorching bright aura that transcended like an otherworldly object. Much like before with strikes of death, they entangled the lycan. Only this time, an added blast of psychic power adorned their slashes. It pushed the giant ferocious wolf around like a pinball, leaving slashes and blood in their wake.
And finally, just when the blows ended or so he believed, Rose tapped her crown of petals, making them burst in an invisible energy. They lunged themselves at him, immediately scattering like glass throughout his body when they buried themselves in his torso.
Exsavior roared and wailed, falling in a deep slumber of unconscious pain when his body could not withstand the attack.
"That's all?" Rose screamed at him. "You are worthless!" Her insults became like an echo—like a barrage of sounds that were fleeting him.
'That's all? I think we need to reevaluate that...'
'What?' In an instant, he was no longer with Rose. She was not the one behind those words.
Exsavior sat on his knees in a completely white room—it was bright, much more than anything he had ever seen, and before him was a dark evil looking being. It appeared to be a lycan, but its fur sizzled and moved about like a black flame.
"Who are you?" he shouted, realizing that he was no longer in wolf form.
The being hesitated, when a piercing blow shot through his body. Blood hurdled out of the wound, and then it spoke.
Its voice was deep and menacing, sounding exactly like any monstrous creature brought out of a horror movie. "I am everything you can't control."
His eyes widened, another burst of blood came forth from the creature's chest.
"You are, Ara, aren't you?" Exsavior asked, making the beast scoff.
"You weak minded little shit. Let me make this simple for you." Ara lifted his beastly hand, indicating Exsavior to look behind him. When he did so, everyone emerged from the nothingness that was the room, much like before when he fought Conan. Everyone, from Mia to Lily were present.
"If you don't do anything now, they will all die."
"Rose will kill them...," Exsavior said.
But Ara laughed an insulting scoff at the lycan. "Rose will only kill you, it is I who will annihilate them!" Ara yelled with an insulting laugh as he vanished from sight.
Exsavior's heart sank, he believed Ara to be on his side. Why would he turn against him? If he died, wouldn't Ara die?
That's when he started to put the pieces together. It wasn't the first time Ara tried to kill them, and during his fight with Rose, he lost control. He couldn't even remember what happened. There was an instant where he had everything under control but Rose overpowered him. That's when everything went black.
'Ara isn't scared of me dying...that means, if I die...he will be released!' Rose indeed almost killed him before, making Ara take control.
"I am the real enemy here...," Exsavior said in shock as he watched Ara try to pounce on Mia.
"No!" Swiftly, Exsavior stood and screamed, "I can't let you!"
"Even if it means, you'd die at the hands of that witch?" Ara taunted, grabbing Mia's body and devouring her.
He smirked and laughed, allowing the blood to shower him.
Exsavior watched, his eyes replaying the scene, unable to assimilate it.
It wasn't like anything from before—he wasn't going to find any inner strength to help him. He was just going to throw himself at the monster and stop him.
He was already a dead man at the hands of Rose.
That's when he noticed another wound splatter about on the back of Ara, making Exsavior rush the creature.
"I hate you!" he screamed, his eyes coated in angry tears, as he morphed his arms into claws and sank them onto his back.
But Ara only laughed—Exsavior, confused, could not even speak. His body tensed when he felt his own arms pierce his body.
He fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood, choking back on the vital liquid.
"H—how?" he voiced, making Ara loom over him.
"You foolish boy, you can't hurt me without hurting yourself."
"But...how can you live on if I'm dying...?" the question only made Ara laugh as he slashed away at his friends.
Their bodies becoming nothing but ragdolls.
The sensation he felt at that moment was like no other—Exsavior felt more than defeated. He felt crushed—utterly destroyed. With no hope left, his last thought made him attempt one final gesture.
"Kill me," he said, standing up the best way he could.
But Ara laughed at him, making Exsavior reach out for his arm.
"What are you doing, you idiot boy?" With every last remaining strength, Exsavior fought against Ara's struggle as he forced the beast's claw to pierce his own torso. "I'd rather you kill me than Rose!"
"Wh—What have you done?!" Ara howled when he saw Exsavior fall to the ground.
His body, losing the last of its breath, laid there—one eye open while he coughed and spewed blood.
"I don't care anymore, kill me," he said in tears.
"You—you idiot!" and that's when the monster turned to kneel before his dying body. Ara picked him up and hugged him close. "I can't, even if I still live on. I am supposed to protect you."
The voice of the creature began to change. It softened—so much that Exsavior recognized it.
"It...it can't be...you aren't Ara...," he tried saying, and when he made out those words, Ara pulled him back to look at his face.
The beast's ghastly appearance faded, turning into the person he recognized.
"Alexandria..."
"Exsavior! You must live," she said, her blonde hair tickling his face.
"Then why...why haven't you helped me?" he asked.
With a smile, her lips parted, "I am not the only one within you. Isabel summoned me from the beyond. I merged with your Ara-mitama. It is the violent side of your Shinto—I tried so many times to get you to understand, but I could only awaken when your life was in danger."
"When...I lost control..."
She nodded, her tears coating his face and healing all of his wounds. "Your Ara-mitama is extremely powerful. It overpowered me so many times, but because I could not die, it used me. It went against you."
"So what do I do now?" Exsavior asked, feeling his sister's warmth strengthen him.
Alexandria gave him a warm smile. Another wound erupted in her, as blood spilled over his body.
"You beat your Ara-mitama. Now you use that power and slay that witch!"
Her face was urgent, and though he felt less fatigued, Exsavior did not understand how he could harness the power of his Ara-mitama.
'Once you learn the identity of the Ara-mitama, you can pass on to the third side of your Shinto.' The moment he questioned himself, a memory flashed before his eyes.
The conversation he had with Haldus and Jasmine—when he learned of the Shinto.
With a rapid gesture, Exsavior stood and faced his deceased sister.
"Ara was never the identity. It was you! You are my Ara-mitama!" he said to her, making Alexandria close her eyes and nod.
"You understand now...," hesitating, Alexandria moved to the side to reveal another being that was among them. "Behold, the Kushi-mitama."
With wide eyes, Exsavior gasped as he tried to take in the being, but it simply rushed towards him—impaling his torso.
All he ever got to see was a shadowy man with a large upper body; after that the darkness sent him back to reality.
He fluttered his eyes open in shock, expecting to see his sister.
However, his sight was filled with blood—his own that was lavishing the woods. Exsavior coughed and noticed how his body was crucified on a tree.
Each of the telekinetic ribbons were piercing him—maintaining his suspended form. He felt his hair drenched in blood, and that's when he realized that he was no longer in the Ara-mitama's transformation.
"You're not dead yet? Pity." Rose's glowing eyes became amused.
She flew up to be at his level.
"You understand now how different you and I are?" she asked him in a stern manner, as if trying to get him to believe her point of view.
There was a laugh, one that emerged from Exsavior's throat and this action angered Rose.
"Yeah, I understand," he said, lifting his calm stare to hers. Then, his eyes began to brighten, copying Rose's ethereal glow—only his resembled liquid gold.
His mouth began to tear at his human form, growing larger and wider with sharp dangerous fangs. All around his face, fur ruptured through, leaving his cheeks untouched. It happened in a fraction of a second which made Exsavior's spiritual pressure intensify, so much that it started overpowering Rose's.
The witch gasped in shock while trying to salvage her control over her mana that was being suppressed. But Exsavior ripped through her ribbons when his body burst with an ice cold wave of energy.
He remained human for the most part, but his torso grew. The muscles on his arms and shoulders bulked considerably, and they were coated under his sleek raven fur. Exsavior's arms were large and powerful with solid white claws that emanated a piercing frost. On the top side of his head were two large wolfish ears, and crawling down his back was a mane of fur that covered his waist. His thighs took the form of hind legs, furred and muscular, and his feet were giant clawed paws.
It was a completely new form, and it did exactly what Exsavior needed it to do—intimidate Rose.
With a quickened pace, he landed on the ground with a glare of his wolf eyes towards his foe.
"Whatever this is won't be enough to beat me!" Rose yelled, reanimating her ribbons and sending them to fly towards Exsavior.
The lycan smirked, flashing his golden eyes brightly with his aura. It made a blast of cold air barricade his body, causing the ribbons to wither when they came in contact with it.
Seeing Rose's face was pure ecstasy, for Exsavior knew that she was beside herself the minute he countered her attack without so much as a twitch.
"I'm done with you." When his aura subsided, Exsavior used the power of his hind legs to propel him into the air. He was like a missile, fast and powerful.
Readying to strike her, Rose activated her barrier instantly. She moved quicker now and Exsavior could tell that she was rattled.
It gave him the edge he needed, and because of this—he decided to try out his new strength.
Instead of dodging or stopping his strike, he lifted his large lycan arms and thrashed at the barrier with his claws.
They thinned the barrier, made it like a sheet of fragile ice and shattered it.
The action forced Rose to lift her arms immediately and push him away with her psychic powers. It blasted Exsavior towards the ground, birthing a growl that reverberated throughout the dead of the night.
He simply shrugged off the hit and rushed in once more, knowing that her weakness was proximity. Throughout the fight, Rose always kept him at bay.
So he was going to destroy that distance.
"Telecinesis, Imber Conscientia de flante!" The same spell flew out of her mouth along with the ribbons of telekinetic power.
They ravaged the air and trees, stopping Exsavior midair and blasting him. He could feel how hasty the attack was, which meant that she was getting anxious.
'My core, my center, the star that regulates my being.' "Sirius! Shower them with your might!" Exsavior roared against her energy, emitting a loud thundering cry. It created a light that fell from the sky and burst on his body. All around, the air crystalized so much that Rose found it hard to breathe.
In a fast attempt to take control, she read his movements with her mind, and dodged the blast that he repelled with his roar. It vaporized the ground and the remaining trees with the smallest of efforts.
Everything that had succumbed before Rose was now finding oblivion with Exsavior's power. He tore and destroyed his surroundings, ravaging the atmosphere itself.
He was truly a force of power, unstoppable—and Rose was the obstacle in his way.
When the might of his star failed to strike Rose, Exsavior speeded after her. He was utterly tired of the witch, but she refused to give in.
She conjured her ribbons, lashing him as much as she could, but Exsavior repelled them. It was then that he realized her tactic. Rose was distancing herself into the sky—she was trying to flee.
"I won't let you leave!" he yelled, revealing something dark and large from behind his body.
A tail of raven fur emerged and stretched from him, wrapping itself around the witch.
"How can I not read your thoughts anymore?" she wailed in frustration and pain when Exsavior slammed her on the ground.
Her head took a hard hit, drawing blood, but it still didn't stop her.
Rose stood in anger, flashing her ethereal eyes—she ripped at Exsavior's tail with her spirit pressure.
"I will end you!" There was no turning back for either of them—not until death claimed their last breath.
"Mother, I claim, hear my soul for your bidding; tear this mind. Bring down the powers of Time!"
The air he thinned shattered as he watched before his eyes, the breaking of an Immortal. Rose took the final step and tore at her life force.
"Just to kill me," he said the words under his breath when the winds splashed onto his body. It tickled the bare skin of his abs and stomach, but it became harsher the minute he saw the witch fall to her knees.
"Telecinesis!" She screamed the Active Power, creating an invisible force that exploded all around.
"Sirius!" but Exsavior invoked the powers of his star once more, and withstood the hit after he was showered in the light.
"I order you now, submit before my power!" and when the blast ebbed, he summoned his Will of Dominance—beckoning not one, but two ethereal spirits.
They released themselves from his body much like before; one took the form of a giant wolf and the other resembled a girl with incredibly long hair. She rode the beast and traveled with great speed after Rose, who remained still on her knees.
"This is my end...I failed," the witch said in defeat as her power dissipated around her. There was no energy left in her.
Once the two translucent white silhouettes reached her, they merged within her body. Rose screamed in pain, as she fell to the ground—all consciousness lost.
Her hair went back to normal, fading to a black color.
It was done.
Exsavior triumphed over Rose, a formidable foe.
The minute this happened, the Will of Dominance disappeared but not the girl. She let the wind carry her towards him, and with one of her hands, she caressed Exsavior's face before vanishing into him once more.
"Thank you, sister," he said to no one in particular, before returning back to his normal human form.
His body ached and his vision was blurring. Too much blood was lost, along with the outstanding amount of energy he consumed to pull off that transformation.
It was then that Exsavior realized just how much he pushed his body after the darkness claimed him.
Moments later, she finally arrived.
"Exsavior!" her voice carried itself over the barren wasteland that was the forest.
Jasmine ran frantically to his side, ignoring the body of the witch as she cried on the boy.
"I don't know how, but I promise I am bringing you back from this." And with that said, she shifted and put him on her back to take him to safety.