Re: Timeless Apocalypse

Uriel had already taken everything he could.

He’d taken the world’s energy, he’d copied its fabrics dozens of times, and had thrown it into disarray to a point of almost no return.

Even he didn’t fully understand the implications of what he’d created.

The Star Rings were, in essence, miniature fabrics that worked entirely independently of anything—world and void alike.

He was a moving sentry of laws now.

What more could he take? Just how much more could he bleed the world?

’I’ll take as much as I want... I’m owed as much.’

By now, Uriel’s comprehension of the world, magic, martial arts, and the three arts of control was beyond anything a mortal should have ever reached.

To say he’d absolutely abused the perks of his moons and pioneer status would be a massive understatement.

And it was because he understood so much that he knew exactly where to get what he wanted.

The Spirit.

In arcane studies, it was known that Will, or Intent, gave shape. Energy was ’form’, and Will was ’shape’.

What this meant, in a tangible sense, was that no spell could be cast without every single parameter being accounted for.

To cast a fireball, one needed aether—or more usually fire aether—but also deep runic comprehension of fire. But beyond that, one needed to know how to express their intent into runes to guide and form the spell.

The runic fabric of the world didn’t teach mages how to make balls out of flame. It was a result of will.

So, on the scale of the world, what was Will? If the world was ’form’, then what was its ’shape’?

The Spirit.

"Form."

So, Uriel would give his rings and stars ’Spirits’. And he would make the world forge it for him.

"Shape."

He was owed this much. And more.

He would take and take until there was nothing left—and even then, he’d carve the void until he had more than he dared to fathom or comprehend.

And then, he’d take more.

’I need more.’

...

RUMBLE!

The rain falling over Kael had begun to wane over the last few hours as night slowly began to fall.

A light breeze swept past the city, paired with the golden rays of the sun setting far off into the distance, its radiance peeling across the crystal surface of the spire.

It was calm. Peaceful.

But suddenly, it darkened—almost as if the sun had hurried to set into its nest and the clouds rushed to blot out the skies with dark grey nimbuses.

It was so sudden that many instantly looked up toward the sky, as confused as they were afraid.

Was... a storm coming?

BANG!

Mothers held their sons close as thunder began to echo loudly, each deafening crack exploding in rapid succession, leaving the air hot and trembling.

And, as if floodgates had been opened, rain began to pour onto the land below—harsh and torrential, in a way that reflected the fury of a sky god.

It was followed by its furious sister, wind—heavy as it was chaotic—rising and sweeping across the city.

The wooden buildings littering the city shook and swayed as the beautiful paved streets of Kael rapidly began to give way, even under the might of the many formations etched across the city.

"...!"

The many experts hidden across the city suddenly all stood at attention. Not because of the storm—no, none cared about that.

But because of the aether. The sheer, maddening concentration of it.

The aether in the air was shifting, forming a storm the likes of which most had never seen. But this storm rapidly collapsed into something... horrifying.

Across the skies of the city, blinding seas of brilliance rushed alongside abyssal rivers of darkness, and with the rain, sand began to fall.

The sand fell just as harshly as the droplets of water, rapidly filling the streets of Kael with muddy slosh many stumbled through, some nearly drowning in it.

RUMBLE!

The air shook, and across it, vines erupted to form a gigantic web spanning the skies—looming above all those living beneath like a soon-to-fall net of divine proportions.

It was... shocking.

But it was only the beginning.

...

Near the outposts of the core ring, all guardians stood ready, frowns marring the faces beneath their robes.

They tightly held their weapons, their poison aether forming a dark haze around them, reflecting the swirl of emotions within their hearts.

This was not good.

’...’

Subconsciously, most looked to a corner of the sky, where the crimson-robed guardian floated, observing the building storm with sharp eyes full of spite and wrath.

Rain and sand pelted across their body, heavy winds pushing and pulling at the fabric of their robes, making them flutter and snap through the air.

The crimson guardian’s gaze narrowed, and a pulse of something foreign exploded from their body, encompassing the entire city.

In nothing but a blink, the crimson guardian’s shocking arcane prowess was put on display as a formation formed over the city, protecting it from the building chaos in the skies.

Still, none of that seemed to appease the guardian—not even the thankful gazes of civilians across the city who rapidly began to turn to them in waves.

No, instead, the guardian’s gaze landed on a specific inn.

’The boy triggered a... tribulation.’

For such an event... not even the crimson guardian could intervene. All they could do was wait, and hope he succeeded.

Or else, the entirety of Kael would be gone. Not even the formation they had launched would save them from the sky’s wrath.

And that realization only sparked rage in the guardian’s heart, which continued to build, forming a dark brazier inching toward madness.

’The boy... should he survive, I’ll—’

The guardian didn’t finish the thought, but the meaning was clear.

Uriel, unknowingly, found himself the target of yet another behemoth—one that seethed in rage and drowned in glee at the thought of his death.

But even if he knew, it’d be hard to say if he’d care at all.