In the Hall of Radiance.
"Ahhhh!!!" The quintet cried out in pain, their fingers stretched taut on the sun-shaped pedestal, engulfed by a brilliant light that stretched beyond the high heavens.
Angel screamed, his veins feeling like molten lava as a searing burn coursed through his soul. His body and eyes shone brightly, incandescent with unearthly energy. Inside those blazing eyes…
Angel woke up, finding himself adrift in a vast white space.
"What is it with these places and nudity?" he muttered, glancing down at his bare form.
"Angel…" A deep, all-encompassing voice broke the silence, sending a chill through him. He whirled around, his gaze darting nervously.
"Who's there—ugh!" Angel collapsed to his knees as an unbearable force pinned him down. "Bleurghh! Bleurghh…" Blood spilled from his mouth, staining his chin as his blue eyes filled with crimson.
"Fated light-bringer…" The voice reverberated through the space, and Angel felt a subtle shift ripple through the air. He looked up, his vision blurring as a humanoid figure began to take shape—a being manifested in pure, eye-searing light. The radiance forced him to avert his gaze, his eyes stinging as though burned by its presence.
"One needs to see, to follow their destiny…" The being's words echoed through Angel's mind, and suddenly it all clicked. His thoughts raced back to the dinner with the prince, to the revelation of their purpose. This was it. This was why they were brought here—to become champions of this world!
Angel clenched his fists and looked up, his watery eyes locking onto the blinding figure. Before him, a clear white gem began to manifest, its surface flawless. Within the gem, a golden crest in the shape of the sun gleamed brilliantly, radiating light.
Without hesitation, Angel reached for the gem, his heart pounding with unwavering determination. The moment his fingers closed around it, the temperature surged, the heat rising unbearably high in an instant. His skin blistered and peeled away, consumed by the inferno as an unbearable searing pain coursed through him. The juices in his eyes boiled before they burst, leaving him blind. His flesh fried to a crisp, turning to charcoal, and his screams were cut short as his vocal cords burned away. Clutching the clear gem tightly to his chest, the crest gleamed brilliantly inside. Angel's body disintegrated, his form reduced to ash in the radiant blaze…
"The hell is it with these places and taking my clothes off?" Aidan muttered, rising from the desert floor and dusting the dirt off his body. He took stock of his surroundings, squinting against the blinding sunlight.
All around him, as far as his eyes could see, stretched dry desert sand. The sun hung high in the blue sky, scorching him and the sand beneath his feet. "What am I even supposed to do here?" he sighed, stepping forward reluctantly.
"This is some bullshit!" His lips chapped and his throat dry, he croaked with each painful word. The warm air burned his lungs with every breath, while blisters formed on his feet, making him regret every agonizing step. Dragging his hulking figure forward, he muttered hoarsely, "Water… I need water…"
Then, the earth shook violently beneath him. "What now!?" Aidan cried out, stumbling as the sand trembled and shifted. A voice from a higher plane reverberated around him, shaking the very air.
"Aidan… Fated Earth-bearer…"
The sand surged upward in a towering wave, its movement reflected in Aidan's horrified auburn eyes as it threatened to swallow him whole. "Why!?" he screamed, running away from the relentless tide. "Who did I curse to deserve this!?" His feet broke open the blisters as he fled, leaving bloody streaks on the scorched ground.
"One's destiny always lies before them…" The voice echoed in his ears, its meaning eluding him.
"What's that even supposed to mean!?" Aidan croaked, trying to make sense of it all. "Destiny… Destiny…" The word echoed in his mind, repeating until something clicked.
"Destiny!" The realization struck him, his thoughts flashing back to the dinner with the prince—and Alexie's demonstration of her power. 'Fated Earth-bearer…' This was his path!
"This is ridiculous," he muttered, stopping and turning, as the sand tsunami inched closer and closer. The words from before returned to him, their meaning sharp and undeniable: 'One's destiny always lies before them…'
In the midst of chaos, a clear white gem materialized before him, its brilliance cutting through the rising sand like a beacon. Inside, a golden crest in the shape of the sun gleamed brilliantly.
Aidan knew what he had to do. Without hesitation, he grasped the crystal in his hands, moments before the sand tsunami engulfed him.
The scorching sand moved like liquid, burrowing into his eyes and blinding him. The grains lashed at his body, tearing his skin and leaving scars in their wake. They filled his mouth, nose, and every other orifice, suffocating him under the weight of the earth. The crest gleamed brilliantly in the gem as Aidan's consciousness slipped away…
"Where the hell am I?" Cassidy muttered, rising quickly and instinctively covering herself.
All around her stretched a plain field charred black. Crack! She flinched as azure lightning split the overcast sky, the deafening thunder roaring in her ears. Cassidy glanced around warily, fear prickling at her skin as she braced for the next strike.
"Cassidy… Fated Storm-breaker…" An insurmountable voice reverberated around her, shaking the ground beneath her feet.
Iron rods erupted from the earth, forming an aisle before her.
"What is all this—" Crack! Lightning struck the rod before her, the blinding flash and deafening roar sending her stumbling to the ground. Scrambling back to her feet, she turned and ran, desperate to escape the ominous aisle of iron.
Before she could get far, the voice spoke again. "One endures, to reach their destiny…"
Tornadoes rose around her, twisting and turning viciously, their howling winds threatening to sweep her away.
"Endure…?" Cassidy muttered, her mind racing. An awful idea formed, and she grimaced as she turned back toward the iron rods. Thunder roared overhead, lightning streaking across the sky. She looked down at the rod before her and, without hesitation, grabbed it. Crack!
Lightning struck her, electrocuting her body as she shrieked in agony. Charred and shivering, she looked up to see a clear crystal gem manifesting at the end of the iron rod aisle.
Her experiment successful, Cassidy felt a surge of newfound confidence. "That's it—the way out!" she realized, straining against the pull of the tornadoes as they tried to drag her in.
"I am getting out of here!" she roared, her hands and arms taut as she grabbed the second iron rod. Crack! Lightning struck her again, ripping the skin from her hands and arms, charring the flesh black.
Her fingertips bloodied, she pushed on, grabbing the third rod. Crack! "Leaving this stupid planet with the love of my life!" Crack! She clung to the fourth rod as the wind howled louder, her face half charred, the flesh and jaw exposed, her hair burned away.
"And see my family again—" Crack! She shuddered, gripping the fifth rod as her vocal cords burned, silencing her cries.
Crack! Lightning struck her again as she reached the sixth rod. Her skin was completely charred away, her face a grotesque mess of roasted flesh and muscle, her skull burning.
Crack! She gripped the seventh rod, her eyes bursting from the heat, leaving her blind.
Cassidy reached out aimlessly, her fingertips mere centimetres from the crystal gem. Her bloody grip faltered, her strength slipping away as the tornado's pull grew stronger. Swinging her arm wildly one last time, she reached for the gem—but the storm claimed her, dragging her into its merciless vortex.
End of Chapter 28