Chapter 52: Void vs Flame
The Punto—or rather, the Whisker Oracle—suddenly jumped in front of them, its tiny paws patting the scorched earth as it stood between the Prominence Beam and the rest of the group.
Then, with a small growl, it opened its tiny mouth unnaturally wide and spat out a pitch-black orb the size of a pebble.
A heartbeat later, that tiny orb expanded violently, twisting into a swirling vortex of darkness. It spun faster and faster until it resembled a miniature black hole. And like void meeting fire, the Prominence Beam crashed into the anomaly—and vanished after.
The fire didn’t explode or ricochet.
It was devoured.
The beam vanished inch by inch, as if sucked into a swirling tunnel that led to nowhere—a void with no end, no origin. Like a strand of burning silk pulled into the mouth of oblivion, the vortex consumed it hungrily, leaving behind only silence and smoke.
"Hallelujah!" Auren gasped, jaw dropping. The others stood frozen, eyes wide, struggling to believe what they’d just witnessed.
That tiny furball had just tanked one of the deadliest attacks in the known world.
"So this... this is the power of the Whisker Oracle..." Kardel whispered, eyes still fixed on the floating black vortex as it continued to devour the fire. His voice was filled with reverence—and just a hint of fear.
Even Rhiki and Queen Elarya could only hope this miracle had bought them enough time to survive. The look in their eyes said it all: they had expected death. Now, all that remained was the terrifying question—what happens next?
"Wow..." Auren mumbled in awe. Then—sizzle.