Everybody traveling due west had the same question on their minds, what is a celestial beast?. It was the first time they heard the term but when they asked Remulos for a description he couldn't do it, he had already lost his eyesight the first time he met him and then when he was finally able to see Aura all he was able to see was just a shape with the most ethereal looking form of energy.
Remulos could only said that his benefactor was pretty big and was very powerful and that he usually felt the powers of thunder and wind around him. The celestial beast was around 15 ft tall and could fly like he was running on earth but it had no wings and the last piece of information was his name, Xiǎo Bái.
"Xiǎo Bái? Sounds exotic!!" said Riddick with a smile on his face, only a unique creature was good enough for his brother.
It took the team almost a month to get to the place that the celestial beast was suppose to call home but what impressed Rahz and the others was that it look like a forest out of a Fantasy Movie. There was only one road about a mile long into what it looked to be an oasis, trees when around in a circle encasing a lake with an area of 100 miles and inside the lake there was a small island but it was so far away that it could be anywhere from 3 to 5 miles long.
The trunks of the trees had a brown color but it was illuminated in such a way that it look almost cartoonish contrasting perfectly with the cartoonish green of the leafs. There were tiny specs of energy floating into the air from the surface of the lake and then disappearing into the night.
Gasp!!!
Elune gasped at the sight in front of her and then gasped again when the moon in the sky change from red to purple and so did the specs of energy floating in the air.
The mesmerizing effects of the landscape were destroyed by Remulos that brought the team back to earth with an unexpected request, "From here on out only Lord Rahz can come in to meet brother Xiǎo, It is very important that none of you step a foot inside no matter what you hear, if we are to succeed"
Riddick frowned but Rahz took the lead and reassured him that it was O. K and that nothing could hurt him as long as he had Apocalypse with him.
"If those are the rules then we cannot give a bad impression can we? Besides, he is somebody that has a name just like you and me so we can't treat him as one of those savage creatures".
Rahz statement made a lot of sense and as the old saying went Pearls don't lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.
Remulos immediately led the way and Rahz followed behind like a kid in Christmas morning about to open a most anticipated present.
The duo reached the lake shore and as Rahz was thinking in the different ways to reach the island, Remulos pointed at a raft standing by the water's edge.
Despite the weight of Remulos, the raft didn't sink at all and it actually behave as if there was nobody in it. The moment both of them made it on top, it automatically started drifting on his own towards the middle of the lake where a giant cave stood up in the middle of the island.
The raft advanced little by little and Rahz started to feel weaker and weaker.
"What is going on Remulos? I feel like my energy is being drained out of me".
"This is a test Lord Rahz, perhaps one of many. I was lucky enough to meet him in my hour of need but I presume that he wants to see if you are worthy, but I am confident that it will be so"
Rahz tried to absorb the energy of heaven and Earth but quickly realized that his connection to the realm had been lost. All he had available to him was what was in his regular reserves.
It took them a few hours to reach the island but Rahz was still able to walk around normally despite being almost totally drained. The moment he stepped on the island, he felt a pressure equal to a 4th tier beast crashing on him but when he started to probe the source of the pressure, all that register was a level 35 creature.
"Interesting" said Rahz even more curious about this celestial beast.
" So… the Elysian Hero has finally come. It is my destiny to help you in your quest to return balance to the realm but are you ready to show your worth"
"Yes"
"I am one of the four sacred beast in charge of protecting the Realm from any outside influences such as the Gods, but it is up to me to determine if you are worthy or not to wield my power. In order to become a true champion your heart should be clear of all the demons you have acquired. Beat them…. and I will help you in your quest but if you fail then you'll be nothing but an empty shell"
"Demons? I thought they left me when I passed Apocalypse test but My Resolve is unshakable so Let's Go!!!"
" Very well HERO.... I am waiting for you inside the Cave I hope you don't disappoint me".
Rahz walk towards the cave with his head held high and when he passed the entrance he saw a giant white tiger seating straight. It was a beautiful beast with crystal eyes and had blue lightning snakes running around his body, on his paws little wind tornados ran around in pure white and his dark black stripes change shape as if they had their own mind.
"The first test is for you to fight the Hatred towards those who did what you considered hideous… Behold! the Embodiment of Hate"
The Character on the forehead of the celestial beast glowed with multicolor lights and Black smoke started to escape from Rahz's body and gathering in a space 20 ft away from him until the figure of Ross materialize completely and was standing on top of a body.
Ross Moriarty look down and sneered, "Don't worry kid, that was just a Sinner... but I made sure to discipline him properly"
Rahz knew it was just a test but still, the body laying on the floor was the body of his father and it was not in one piece. The person in front of him not only killed children but now it was desecrating the memory of his dad and that was unforgivable.
Rahz attacked ferociously but without composure, the hatred coming from his body fed the levels of the Embodiment of Hate making it stronger by the second.
Level 21...22...23..24
"SO WEAK!! I never thought a level 31 could be this useless"
Cling… Cling
Rahz's Axe bounced against the floor and the walls shook, every swing carried massive physical force but very little technique and the weapon never even grace his opponent. 20 minutes later, Rahz was so tired that he had to put away his weapon so he didn't drop it.
Thanks to his tiredness, he was finally able to step back and focus on the thing in front of him, Rahz could feel the strong pressure of a level 35 and quickly discovered that it was no longer human in shape. A heinous monster towered over him, with arms as big as Riddick's in his full form and a face with a skull without eye sockets that went back into a bone protrusion that stopped in the middle of his back . It had a long neck at least 3 ft long and besides what it seem like 2 nostrils in his face, it had a mouth with 2 rows of sharp teeth.
"HA HA HA HA I can still feel more hatred in you…. GIVE IT TO ME!!! Come... come... Now that I have reached this form there is no escape for you!!"
Awaken! Minions of Hatred
Three mini copies of the Embodiment appeared and started attacking Rahz with their sharp claws that had a corrupted energy surrounding it that caused damage to anything it touched.
Hate Blast!!
The Embodiment followed with a breath type spell that had the same effect as the Aura of the minions and would destroyed anything it touch and if any of the Minions were hit it actually empowered them by another level.
Rahz was in dire straits and just when he was about to get hit...