Chapter 25
The Alpha laughed at Lux' statement. He genuinely found Lux to be an intriguing person. Every time he thought he had him figured out, there was a new surprise.
"The conclusion, you say?" He moved the corners of his mouth down as he looked at Ignis. "This guy? You seem pretty confident that he can defeat me. Is he that much stronger than the rest of you?" The Alpha finished his question with excitement. He truly had difficulty predicting these people.
"No, you misunderstand," Lux said. "However, you have my word that I will come back to defeat you. I will not let you kill innocent people for your misguided quest."
The Alpha furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to figure out what Lux was saying. Then, suddenly, Lux' spirit released a tremendous burst of energy. It was unlike any energy the Alpha had ever felt. It didn't push its way past as if it were a powerful gust of wind. Instead, it was oppressive as if it were a presence, and it pushed downward as well as outward. All the energy that had been emanated from Lux wasn't dissipating, but it seemed to be gathering and condensing.
Ignis' face began to convey horror at Lux' actions. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He called out to Telu who was just a small distance from him.
"Telu, what is he doing? He cannot do this! Please, ask him not to do such a dangerous thing!"
Telu laid in the snow. She did her best to answer through her pain, "It is the only way. Our enemy is far too powerful. Rest easy, my friend. My Lux will not be destroyed from such a small thing."
Then, Lux stood to his feet, and his eyes glowed with brilliant sparks of blue lightning. The atmosphere of the entire area electrified with countless static discharges. The energy began forcing itself outward at a violent rate. The force became difficult for the Alpha to counteract. Soon, simply standing upright was a challenge, even for him. At first, this phenomenon interested him, but now it had reached a point that was concerning. The energy didn't feel like Lux' anymore, it was different. This was something foreign, something ancient. He realized he should destroy Lux quickly before this had a chance of getting out of hand.
The Alpha regained his footing and lunged forward to crush his opponent in one blow. As his fist reached forward, a new wave shot out even more violently than the others which forced the Alpha back. He continued sliding backward in the snow as he tried to fight the power of this new energy.
Immediately, all at once, the wave of energy stopped. The Alpha had to catch himself so that he wouldn't fall forward. He looked up and saw that Lux glowed with a bright white light. Lightning bolts from the sky struck him and the area around him repeatedly. Then, in just moments, Lux was gone, and a massive white wolf emerged from the light.
The wolf towered over everyone at a height that tripled a normal human's height. Each of its legs almost seemed comparable to tree trunks. The beautiful snowy white fur of the creature displayed currents of lightning traveling throughout, and its eyes glowed with Lux' vibrant blue aura.
"You..." Stunned beyond words, the Alpha gazed at the ancient creature.
The wolf disappeared into a cyclone of lightning which covered the entire area, and he re-emerged with all of his friends safely on his back. Ignis held the unconscious ones as securely as he could manage. Telu had regained a bit of strength, but she was only capable of keeping herself from falling.
The Alpha looked into the eyes of the massive creature. There, he saw someone familiar staring back as if to remind him of a promise. The intensity of its eyes pierced him as he remembered Lux' words. Suddenly, everything made sense, he intended to escape.
"I see, the wolf-form was a sneaky exit strategy. This changes nothing. I already have the power to enter your home. I took it from the girl already so I don't need to leave any of you alive!"
As he called out, he charged his hands with deadly nature energy. He rushed at
the wolf to kill him in one shot. Then, in an instant, the wolf vanished leaving a shockwave where he had been standing. The attacker was pushed back by the blast. And, suddenly, he was the only person left standing on the lonely mountain.
The massive, white wolf traveled at unparalleled speeds as he made his way north. He quickly scaled the mountains, and he was soon on his way to the vast, icy plains of the northernmost lands on Atlas.
As they traveled, Ignis quickly gave Telu a summary of his time inside the portal and asked her to heal Thaddaeus. He carefully laid Him out on his back. Telu was injured, but somehow, seeing Thaddaeus in this condition was far more painful than her physical ailments.
"I cannot heal him in my weakened state. This wound is far too severe for my diminished spirit energy. Soon, we will be back home, and I will have the strength to fully rejuvenate him. However, I believe I can manage to keep him living in my current state."
Telu began the process to help Thaddaeus heal. Ignis sighed with relief when he saw Thaddaeus breathing, however labored it was. He thought back to when the young warrior joined them. He wasn't thrilled about the new addition, but even he could see that there was a lot more to him than even Thaddaeus knew. In any case, as time went on, young and fumbling Thaddaeus became an invaluable member of the group, and Ignis actually liked him as much as anyone else did.
After Ignis' mind was put to rest from the responsibility of Thaddaeus' life, he was able to think about what Thaddaeus had done. It was seriously impressive. He really hadn't realized the snappy, impulsive warrior was capable of such a thing. It was one thing for members of the same family to trade their lives for those they love, but Thaddaeus did it for someone he had only known for a few weeks. It wasn't the same thing at all. Ultimately, Ignis' respect for Thaddaeus was now without limits, and he knew they could entrust him with anything, even their home.
The wolf sprinted across the landscape until they finally reached what looked like the end of the world. They had made it across the icy plains, and the plains ended at the edge of a vast sea. The wolf approached a section of the cliff that jutted out over the water. The extended section of land was raised up forming a slope which seemed to lead to nowhere. As he approached, a monstrous portal manifested itself to him. It looked similar to the mountain top portal, but it had two white columns on the sides and a beautiful, white arch over the top. The portal was large enough for the wolf to walk through without trouble. He walked forward and placed his paw on the center of the doorway. It glowed brighter after he made contact with it as if it needed to be unlocked. The giant wolf moved forward to take his people home.