Chapter 307: Eye of the Storm
Theo can feel the elements gathering around him.
Once again, he is grateful that he is in Thea’s body. If he were still in his old forty-one-year-old body... he would be shaking by now, and the aftermath would not be pretty.
But here he is, gathering nature’s power into one palm, while Mother Nature herself seems to answer.
A storm is forming.
Slowly.
At first, only wind.
Then wind mixed with debris from the dungeon.
Then wind, debris, and lightning.
It swirls, growing larger, more violent with each passing second.
The King’s roar is no longer as dominant. The storm’s thunder swallows most of it.
The smaller haelions are pulled into the forming tornado, torn apart, then struck by lightning within it.
Theo glances over his shoulder.
"Get behind me!" he calls to Arthur, Liam, and Alicia.
The trio reacts immediately, moving behind him without hesitation.
A second too late, and they would be dragged into the storm as well.
The trio watches as the tornado tears through the haelions, killing them one by one, and literally destroying the dungeon.
This dungeon is vast... yet the tornado is tearing it apart, Arthur thinks, his gaze fixed on Theo.
Exactly how powerful is my sister? How can she be this strong? I have never seen her train. Not alone, not even with Teacher Theo.
Arthur shakes his head.
Stop it. This is not the time.
Alicia stares at Theo in complete awe. She has never imagined Theo to be this powerful, nor that wind itself could be this overwhelming.
It reminds her that the elements are forces of nature, not something to be taken lightly.
The tornado begins to move toward the King.
The smaller haelions may have amplified the King’s roar, but even on its own, the King’s power is immense.
Theo cannot drop the shield while directing the tornado toward the King. Controlling two such powerful spells at once would strain anyone, even him.
As the tornado reaches the King, it engulfs it.
Wind, debris, fire, and lightning tear into its massive body.
Its shell cracks.
Chips away.
Its head is slashed and battered.
The King’s roar turns into a shriek.
Painful.
Desperate.
It is a slow, brutal death.
"Oh my God!" Alicia gasps, covering her mouth with one hand while pointing with the other.
Arthur and Liam follow her gaze.
And they see it.
The King is lifting off the ground.
Slowly.
Dragged upward by the sheer force of the tornado.
It can no longer roar.
Its massive body spins in the air, caught in the storm’s pull.
Theo lowers the shield.
His freed hand rises.
He casts again.
Lightning forms.
But this time...
It is purple.
------------------------------
Outside, a thunderstorm rages.
Julian and Maeve are inside the medical tent, helping where they can, though their eyes drift to the gate every now and then.
The Sentinels under TC Oscar continue to work relentlessly, searching through the rubble for survivors or bodies.
The rain started only a few minutes ago.
Now it pours.
Thunder, lightning, wind, and rain, all crashing together into a storm.
One that Solarys has never seen.
Not in late autumn.
Not at this scale.
And definitely not like this.
Because this storm is contained within a fifteen kilometer radius, with Jade Lantern District at its center.
Beyond that boundary, the world is dry.
It has already made national news.
Weather experts cannot explain it.
No one can.
Search and rescue teams are forced to work under brutal conditions. Julian does not envy them.
He looks up at the sky.
"Thea. Sis. Calm down. Just kill the King. You’re scaring me," he mutters.
Then something changes.
The clouds grow thicker.
Darker.
The lightning intensifies, brighter and more frequent.
The thunder deepens, rolling louder each time.
Because it is night, most of it is hard to see for those inside the storm.
But Julian is already looking up.
He frowns.
"Purple? Has the lightning gone purple, or am I losing it?" he mutters.
"What are you muttering about?" Maeve asks gently.
She has been checking on him often, worried he might spiral again.
Julian points at the sky.
"Look. Tell me if I’ve gone crazy. Does the lightning look purple to you?"
Maeve looks up.
At first, only to humor him.
Then she frowns.
It does look purple.
And more than that, it feels... heavy.
Oppressive.
Maeve swallows.
"Maeve? Am I wrong or not?" Julian presses when she does not answer.
Maeve lowers her gaze to him and nods. "It is purple."
Julian keeps pointing at the sky, blinking rapidly as he processes her answer.
Fear creeps into his expression.
Worry follows.
Slowly, both of them turn toward the gate.
"What the hell is going on in there?" Julian whispers.
------------------------------
If Julian were inside, watching Theo right now, he would most likely say, "Whoa, Sis. You look scarily awesome!"
Arthur, Liam, and Alicia can’t see it clearly, since they are standing behind him.
But Theo looks... scarily awesome.
His misty grey eyes carry faint hints of gold. His face seems to glow. His hair looks thicker, more lustrous, flowing behind him as the wind moves around his body. His clothes flutter, and he hovers mid-air, unmoving.
He looks like a god descended to earth, passing judgment.
Theo does not notice any of it.
He is focused.
Holding together multiple high-level spells at once.
Wind.
Lightning.
Earth.
Something he has never done before.
Something that is only possible because he is in Thea’s body.
Not every magus can do what he is doing right now. Not even the most talented. If Theo were to check Altheon’s records, this would not exist. No one has done this before.
It takes everything he has.
All of his focus.
All of his control.
He is not doing this to show off.
Not to test the limits of Thea’s body.
He is doing it because it is necessary.
This is the only way he can think of to kill the King.
He calls down purple lightning.
It strikes the King again and again, each hit tearing into it, drawing out another series of painful shrieks.
The storm continues for several more minutes.
Then, slowly, it begins to fade.
The purple lightning weakens first.
Then the tornado starts to die down.
The wind calms.
When it becomes gentle enough, the King crashes onto the ground with a heavy impact, shaking everything around it.
Theo descends slowly.
Purple lightning still crackles faintly around his body.
The trio behind him can only watch.
None of them dare to speak.
None of them dare to touch him.
When the last trace of purple lightning disappears, Arthur steps forward, about to ask if he is alright.
"Oh, no!" he suddenly exclaims as Theo’s body sways backward.
Liam, who is closer, reacts instantly. He catches him before he can fall.
He lifts him into a princess carry without hesitation, his eyes scanning Theo’s face for any sign of injury.
Arthur moves in as well, checking quickly.
"Is she okay?" Alicia asks, stepping closer.
Arthur examines him for a moment, then exhales in relief.
"She’s okay. Just passed out from exhaustion."
Alicia nods and steps forward.
"She looks paler than usual. We should take her out and let her rest. She deserves it. She’s been incredible."
Liam nods. "She saved us. As usual."
He exhales quietly.
When will it be my turn to protect you, Princess?
Arthur scans their surroundings.
The dungeon is already beginning to transform into a heartstone mine.
The three of them start walking toward the gate.
Suddenly, Julian rushes in with Maeve and shouts, "Stop! Don’t come out yet!"
Arthur frowns. "Why?"
But Julian’s attention has already shifted to Theo in Liam’s arms.
"Thea! What’s wrong with her?!"
"Sshh!" Alicia hisses. "She’s sleeping. Exhausted after killing the King."
Maeve exhales in relief. "Oh, thank God."
"Why can’t we go out yet?" Liam asks. He clearly wants to get Theo somewhere safe.
Julian does not answer immediately. Instead, he points at himself, from head to toe.
"What do you see?"
"Jules, we’re tired. We don’t want to play games," Arthur says, impatience creeping into his voice. He is worried about Theo and wants her checked.
"We’re soaked, Art. It’s pouring outside. An abnormal thunderstorm is happening. It would be best..."
Julian is cut off as TC Oscar enters the dungeon.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Arthur, to barge in like this. May we enter the dungeon?"
Arthur nods. "Yes, you may. Proceed with extraction, then mining. Coordinate with Lieutenant Cole. She’s in charge outside."
He turns back to Julian.
"Thunderstorm?" he asks, remembering what Theo had done.
Julian nods. "Yes. Big. Strong."
"And localized," he adds under his breath.
"We think it has something to do with Thea," Maeve says.
Arthur exhales.
"Then we do this. We take Thea home with our Pods..." His eyes drift to where the Pods should be.
They are gone.
He stops.
"...We’ll just use umbrellas," he finishes, defeated.
Julian shakes his head. "The wind won’t allow that."
Arthur, Liam, and Alicia exchange looks.
"What do you mean?" Alicia asks.
Julian answers calmly, "The wind speed outside is around one hundred kilometers per hour."