Mane lost his footing but was able to salvage a kneel and prevent his fall. That didn't take away from his current predicament however. For he was still battling with his own flesh that had robbed him; he was still battling his vulnerability.
"Come on!" Mane screamed at himself, trying to regain his strength. He had never thought that Elemental Telekinesis was this taxing. The description of the skill hadn't included any such repercussions. For if it had, Mane wouldn't have used it in such a battle. And while it was careless of the young Supreme to use a power he had never used before against an opponent unlike the likes of those he had ever faced before, one couldn't fault him for believing that this power had the strength to change the tide of the battle without a great cost. But even with the abundant Edict reserves at his disposal and his vibrantly youthful body, Mane was struggling to stay conscious. Elemental Harmony had condemned him to a fate of helplessness. And Mane could only hope that it would resolve itself quickly.
For the young Supreme knew how dangerous his current state was. And though he couldn't see, he could sense the rioting space elements in the environment. He wasn't capable of movement and wouldn't be able to stop anything that came his way, so he was very vulnerable right now.
*Crack*
A small crack appeared in space, just a little over a meter away from Mane's position, and a pair of hands escaped that crack. Those hands were wrinkly and worn, but they commanded great authority. For when they showed themselves, they held on to the two sides of the crack with the power of one who knew no equal and stretched the gap even wider. And the crack opened up into a portal. Mane could sense, to his horror, the approach of the one to whom those hands belonged – the Origin King.
With little to no suspense the Origin King slipped out of the portal and landed onto the ground. His eyes were fixed on his goal all this while and the King of all Artefacts didn't care about anything else nor did he care about the anxiously approaching Aurora. He didn't care about the terror filled face of the one who was chanting a lengthy Lease with the hopes of stopping him in his tracks. He ignored the Wraith and the Eternal. His eyes were glued to Mane alone.
The fingers of the Origin King straightened into little spears and came together to wage a war of their own. His sharp nails glistened in the sun as the ash of space engulfed them. His dark red eyes summoned the power of his authority and confined the area he walked as he approached the young Supreme. With steps hastened by the sweet taste of victory which was literally only a meter away, and with a heart emboldened by the possibility of regaining its former power and a body that was vastly more talented than anything he could have ever hoped for, the Origin King pushed himself towards Mane.
The closer he got to the young Supreme, the more excited he became. Anxiety grew into anticipation and anticipation became hope. Hope developed wings and metamorphosed to become excitement and excitement ballooned into joy. He knew what it would mean to get his eyes back; to get that young, talented body and gain that mind baptized with understanding. In Mane lay the possibility of gaining a physique that may not be as strong as his former body, but had great potential to exceed anything he could ever become. In Mane the Origin King could see a chance at doing what he wasn't able to do in the past. He could see it! He could sense it! With this young man's body he could finally confront the Watchers and wouldn't have to be afraid anymore! And when he reached Mane he could feel his unattainable goals coalesce into something more substantive. Ever pleasant were the screams of desperation from the young boy's companions. For Crystal's Lease was interrupted – by her own emotions; by her own heart. And Aurora's charge was hastened. Yet in all their attempts, neither could save their king.
Without any hesitation the Origin King clutched on to Mane's neck and pulled the helpless Supreme off the ground. His arms trembled at the sight of his second chance; his heart limp to the incoming strike of the scared Wraith. And with an almost cynical smile that chilled the heart of the one who was known in the past as Chaos Witch, the Origin King's sharpened fingers dug into the chest of the young Supreme.
Mane could feel the incoming threat; he could sense the power of the one whose soul he had destroyed only recently reaching out for him. And he could feel the excitement of the maddened hunter holding on to his neck like he was same tame rabbit. Yet in all this, there was nothing he could do. The young Supreme urged his body to overcome its pain and all issue numb. He tried getting his now feeble arms to fight back and his cracked knees to strike out. Yet they ignored his call. They didn't seem to realise that resting now was forfeiting rest forever. And Mane could only resign himself to his painful fate.
*Poof*
The young Supreme's eyes were still closed, but he could tell that Ancestor Origin was giddy with joy and excitement. The Origin King deliberately missed his heart and Mane knew it was because the man was trying to take over his body and claim it as his own. And to prevent Mane from having any chances at recovery the Origin King shrouded the area of the new wound with the power of space and the remnants of time he had reserved for a moment like this, pulling Mane into an abyss of deeper confusion and disorientation – to time, place and person.
"Argh!" Aurora screamed in desperation as she flew towards Ancestor Origin. She was tethered to Mane's soul. His death meant her death and his loss meant her loss. When Mane was struck she felt the pain of being stabbed in the pits of her belly like she was the one in whom a hole had been bored. And though she felt no immediate threat to her life, death tasted closer than it ought to.
With the maddened charge of a crazed mongrel she rushed towards Ancestor Origin, routing her power and causing a storm of fury so great that the Origin King had to give up celebrating his victory for a short while and pay her some attention. He dropped the bleeding Mane to the ground – for he considered the young Supreme defeated – and turned to gaze upon the figure of the wraith. His bloody eyes shone brightly upon sensing her power; power that was much greater than he expected. And with the narcissistic smirk of a man close to reaching his goals he declared,
"I could use subordinates like you"
And waved his hand before him.
*Crack*
A portal appeared right before the charging Aurora and before she could put on the brakes she was sucked into it. And unlike the many times he had summoned a portal, no exit portal appeared. Aurora was gone! She had been sent to a place only the Origin King knew of! But the Origin King couldn't return to Mane just yet. For there was another here who wasn't going to let that happen.
"Get away from him!" Crystal screamed as her staff was summoned into her fair palm. Torrents of Leases descended upon the Origin King, forcing him to back off while furrowing his brows in doubt. He had tried generating a portal to accept those attacks yet to his dismay he felt that he couldn't! And that was why he was forced to retreat.
"What is going on?" Ancestor Origin wondered as he tried to reconnect to the element that hadn't abandoned him like its counterpart all those years ago.
Crystal didn't care about the Origin King's current predicament, nor did it matter to her. All that mattered now – the most important thing – was getting Mane to safety. With a wave of her hand and a mumble of a few Elementary Leases Mane was carried off the ground by the winds of change and brought to her feet, much to the Origin King's dismay. And the King of all Artefacts displayed his extreme dislike of the situation by charging towards Crystal, hoping to regain the body he had worked so hard to gain.
"Don't you dare!" Crystal seethed as Chaos rushed past the confines of her body and crashed into Ancestor Origin, sending him flying.
*Bang*
The old king fell into the ground several meters away. With a few rolls he was back to his feet, and patting the dust off his clothes. His eyes were narrowed into crescents as he came to terms with his current situation.
"Is it because my power is preventing him from healing? How strong must his healing factor be then to take all my space power just to prevent it?!"