Chapter 50
Leaping from the balcony, Lux called out, "Soldiers and guard to me!"
As he struck the ground, a small army encircled him. The army consisted of the Elementals as well as the non-elemental soldiers and the elite guard who were typically spread throughout the city. These warriors were not quite as powerful as the members of the elements, but still possessed heightened battle prowess as well as a wealth of tactical experience. Altogether, the entire military forces of Vellstone numbered less than fifty.
"War is upon us." The expression on Lux' face was uncharacteristically grim. "Vellstone as we know it is disappearing. I am currently unaware of how this could be possible. However, it is the doing of the leader of the Imperials, the Alpha. He is somehow merging our realm into that of Atlas. Soon, countless enemy warriors will be flooding into our homeland. They will most likely attempt to kill or enslave our people. It is the responsibility of each of you to render such action impossible." He walked through the group of soldiers, standing in front of them, he faced the horizon. He called behind him, "We must battle as one for we are far outnumbered! Elementals behind me. Soldiers and guard follow them, and do not fall behind."
With these orders, Lux struck forth as though he were lightning incarnate. Telu and Ignis ran at top speed behind him in order to match his pace. Fira, Luna, and Solis followed closely behind them with the rest of the warriors of the Primis admirably staying in formation. The small army moved quickly and fluidly to war. From the sky, their appearance was that of an arrow soaring across the land.
Soon, the formidable warriors of the Primis would see with their eyes the vision which their leader felt in his heart. The outer edges of the realm of Vellstone were famously mysterious. They seemingly floated off into the ether. The rock and land simply ceased to hold together. All Primis were aware of this. They've understood since early childhood that the boundaries of their land existed in such a way. These were the natural borders of their land. These were the borders currently being destroyed by corrupted energy.
The ethereal matter surrounding the realm began to shift and move. Under stress, the spirit energy holding it in place slowly gave way. The atmosphere of Vellstone parted revealing a snowy landscape. The appearance of land caught in a blizzard slowly approached the green edges of Vellstone. Constant rumbling noises ended with a deafening cracking sound and one final but massive tremor. The lands had merged.
Lux stopped abruptly at the edge of the grasslands. His warriors stopped behind him.
"How can this be?" He asked, staring in disbelief. "The Alpha has not only broken our spiritual barrier, but he has pulled our realm into theirs." None of the warriors could believe their eyes. Where the fertile land of Vellstone ended suddenly, the snowy ground of northern Atlas started abruptly. "This should not be possible."
"Tempestas," Fira spoke from behind him, "They siphoned my Spirit energy when I was in captivity. Until now, we believed he could only use it for his personal entrance into our land. If circumstances were extreme, he could possibly manage to bring his elite guard with him. The situation has changed. I believe he has assimilated my energy into himself and used it to draw our realm to Atlas. However, his power must have grown ten-fold in order to use it in this way."
Lux nodded as he looked at her, "Yes, possibly even more. Unfortunately, his defeat is now necessary for the survival of our people." He looked around at the lands. "If this continues, our people will perish."
At that moment, an enormous shadow approached from the snowy darkness. As it grew closer, bodies of individual people became visible. A roar like the sound of the ocean reached their ears. An army of Imperials rushed toward Vellstone with a battle cry.
"To arms!" Lux shouted. "We battle as one!"
The roaring army brandished their weapons and attacked with incredible ferocity. Attacks without number crashed onto the once peaceful, green land. Strangely, the wild momentum didn't seem to have much effect. Many weapons fell to the ground, shattered. One unlucky sword met the unmoving palm of Ignis. In mere fragments of a moment, his grip crushed it into fine metal dust.
The six Elementals on the front lines exploded with power and their bodies glowed with the color of their individual energies. The warriors behind them assumed stances with spears and swords. The two armies clashed powerfully. Lightning rained down on the battlefield. Massive waves of water crashed down on the Imperials. Explosions and gravitational surges cut through large groups of soldiers.
The army of Imperials consisted only of gammas and deltas. Though they certainly possessed energy and some were even quite powerful, the overwhelming force of the Primis made for an unfair battle. However, the Alpha somehow managed to gain unbelievable numbers in his army. The Imperials outnumbered the Primis one thousand to one. From their time on Atlas, Lux and the others were fairly sure that this many Imperials did not exist. Even with their incredible power, this situation could quickly become desperate. As long as they continued fighting together and gaining momentum, the numbers of the large army would eventually fail.
As they worked tirelessly to defend their home, suddenly, an ominous weight made its way through the battlefield. The air felt different once again. It felt slightly heavier. Drawing breath was no longer effortless. The natural feeling of Vellstone was vanishing even further.
"We will not prevail in this way," Lux said. "Whatever method the Alpha is using to bring the realms together is draining the energy from Vellstone. We must hurry to stop him before it is too late."
As he spoke, the ground shook briefly with a tremendous power. An impossibly large figure emerged from behind a snowy mountain on the side of the Imperials. Continuously shaking the ground with its footsteps, the figure drew near the battle. They finally recognized the monster. To their dismay, an old enemy had reemerged.