Sun rays crept through cracks in their windows, waking Ether up instantly. He quietly slipped into his armor, latching everything into place before getting ready to head for his brother's room.
An empty stomach forced him to stop in front of his kitchen counter, causing him to turn his head slightly to see behind it. Tucked up against the wall behind the counter, there was a large wooden box.
It was the icebox, where they kept all of their meals from expiring. Ether made his way over, then opened it from the top. His hand reached down for four apples, two for him and the others for Jakery.
While he walked to his little brother's room, he took bites out of his first apple. Savoring the rich taste in his mouth with crunch.
Jakery struggled away, trying his hardest to force his muscles awake. Only to fail and return to lying on his bed with his eyes closed.
"Rah-sah, Shojoro! (Good morning, Jakery!)" Ether greeted.
He gently shook his brother awake, aiding Jakery in his little issue with his eyes unable to open up. When they locked eyes, he smiled cheerfully at the sight of some apples on the bed.
Before Ether could utter a work, Jakery got to work on eating one of them. Keeping it tight in both hands as he munched away, hiding his moving mouth behind the fruit.
"Ah-ah, no! Not yet, go get yourself suited up. Onum falls today and we don't want to be late," Ether ordered.
Instinctively, Jakery leapt out of bed and walked towards the door. Chewing on his breakfast as he stumbled down the hall, taking a right then arriving in their living room.
-Forty-six minutes later-
The siblings stepped foot on the outskirts of Krugi, beyond the walls that protected a thriving city. Out there, they rallied all the Sky Beasts they tamed the day before in preparation for an invasion.
Countless warriors stood around them, keeping their hands on their plates and weapons. Bows, shields, pikes, and swords were a common theme in their hands.
Valentine was in the front, assigning beasts to warriors. He paired four flyers per Sky Beast, allowing them to maintain fast speeds while carrying the most they could.
Warriors climbed up their wings and got into positions, securing themselves on top. Weapons hid themselves in their sheathes and metal faces emotionlessly looked forward, waiting for orders.
Beside Valentine, Danitour checked over the boarding Zegi's armor. Making sure everything was in place before they departed. He tugged on plates, slapped shields, and applied pressure to weapons.
Ensuring they would not break there, let alone out in the battle. When they were clear, Valentine assigned them to a group.
Some faces that already were on Sky Beasts were Hizentre and many of his Thawed. They already sat on beasts, the same ones that flew out to pick them up earlier that day.
By now, there were only a handful of Variants left without a ride. Making it easy for Valentine to finish up and order those that did not find any riders to fly back to the pens.
"Coros, get on Gloria. We'll be leaving soon," Valentine called out.
-Thirty minutes later-
Every beast came down to drop off warriors. Starting with Gloria, Ether and Valentine jumped off. Ether got in position, ready to give out orders to their forces.
"We're here. Thawed, you're going to have to walk there. Follow Valentine and get ready to begin after we the ground forces are hidden from sight," Ether ordered.
As requested, every Thawed descended from their beasts and got behind Valentine. After that was done, they all began marching towards Onum's walls.
Slow steps made it seem like they were going slow, but were taking massive strides over the green grass. After a short few minutes, it appeared like they ran all the way into positions.
Ether turned to face his forces again. "Jakery, this next one is your request, rider. What do you want?"
Jakery grinned. "Get in groups of two. A rider and a shooter. Everyone else drops down and follows Ether. We will engage from above and be a major annoyance to them!"
Warriors got off, mounting on empty beasts while others joined forces with Ether. Once they were ready, the two groups departed.
Ground forces hid on the nearby hill. Under the few but large tree roots, behind boulders, and tall grass. They were going to let Onum push past them before ambushing like a lurking Feral.
For Jakery, they lifted into the skies. Hiding in the clouds together while they waited for the time to strike. Sky Beasts screeched to each other, trying to pass the time.
As for the warriors, they whispered and muttered to their partners. Trying to get to know them better before the attack began.
Off around Onum, the Thawed noticed there were no more Infinus in sight. Everyone was either in the terrain or in the clouds. Telling them this was the time to begin.
A small blood crystal formed in Valentine's hand, slowly growing in size as he glanced to the left and right. Making sure every Thawed combatant was in position.
Everyone, stretching from his side to the opposite end where Hizentre stood, was in position and ready. Just like that, the Crimson Lover hurled the crystal over the walls and allowed it to do the rest.
One large pop alerted the whole city, crystals rained from the original one. When these made contact with exposed skin, they would cut and suck out blood. Sending it back to their creator.
Thawed yelled and cried for war, trying to stir up as much calamity as possible so Onum could bring their reinforcements. In response, voices inside cried out for help.
Sending defenders gathering in front of the gate. But judging from all the voices and the attack, they were outnumbered by a long shot. So one of their Sky Beasts gave flight, going to search for backup.
As planned, it left and allowed those on the outside to begin bringing down their walls. Hizentre screamed, it encouraged his forces to drive forward.
"Bring their Legion down before they get here!" he screamed.
Valentine continued raining down crystals that drained blood and relocated it onto his body. As time progressed, he continued to get trenched in the crimson taint.
Infinus and Onum were going to encounter each other for the first time. One keen on victory, the other keen on survival. But neither were keen on relenting.