Sunlight broke through the leveled area, washing Hymo in the sun's grace. Ether felt it on his shoulders and face, the warmth he needed.
"That destruction... can a prime really do that?" he asked nearby Thawed.
"Yes, they can. Worse part is, that prime seems like it just got unchained and blood is a very limited resource. Which means it's at its weakest, and compared to other primes, this one is far weaker."
Ether sighed, unsure of what to do with that information next. He instead turned to his core, where he enhanced the heat in his body.
Bringing the temperature high enough to let him wield basic aspects of himself. Ether stumbled up the mountain, astonished at the destruction.
He knew Hitirus probably didn't die, he heard it was impossible for him to die normally from Volatile elites. So a prime probably did nothing serious to him.
As he walked, he noticed how badly damaged the area was. Warriors groaned with pain and held parts of themselves, trying to hold in what belonged inside of their bodies.
"Shora, they are so badly hurt. You should help," Lya whispered through Tellendor.
"I can't, I'm going to ensure Hitirus isn't going in the direction of Full Forward," Ether ignored more dying warriors. "Knowing Hitirus, he probably is going to find Niro and kill her for this."
Lya forced Ether to stop walking. "Then manifest Shora into the real world. You can do that with your Third Rule. After Shora leaves you, Ether will remain. But Shora will get tired and return to you at some point."
Ether shrugged, then attempted to remake himself with his flames. Embers consumed him, taking portions of his body and rebuilding it by his side.
Smoke clouded his brain, allowing it to rebuild Shora's personality and instincts into the new body. Warriors watched Shora collapse onto their knees with no facial expressions on their blank face.
"Now that you know about this, I wonder if you'll discipline your Third Rule to give Shora that Thresher look instead of the mold. Regardless, I'm sure they are happy," Lya continued.
Seeing a smaller version of himself struggle onto their feet made Ether feel uncomfortable. He questioned if they shared the same mind and if their emotions were connected.
Which was proven false shortly after questioning it. Shora shot up to their feet and waved their arms around, making no noise from their non-existent mouth. But raw rays of happiness radiated the area.
"Okay... Shora..? Heal who you can, its okay to watch one die. Just try your hardest, please," Ether instructed. "I'll be back soon."
Tellendor manifested itself on Ether's back, sprouting wings and allowing Ether to take flight. More fire increased his temperature, allowing him to fuel his abilities more.
Hymo shrunk beneath his feet as he darted through the destruction. Catching a glimpse of the recovering Valentine, who remained on his back.
Ether came to an abrupt stop beside his Sherpa. "Is Hitirus dead? Where did he go?"
"No... h - he leapt off to my... e - east. Find h - h - him," Valentine's feeble voice replied.
Like a volcanic eruption, Ether ascended higher into the sky. He careened through the leveled terrain, reaching the edge then he descended.
Ledges and boulders became obstacles as he darted through them. Shadows of natural bridges washed over his back as he flew through them, keeping an eye out for hints.
A shattered slab of stone caught Ether's attention, it looked like something heavy landed on it. But no blood to indicate Hitirus was there. So he took a closer look, realizing there was dust around it.
"Happened after the rainstorm... yeah, he went this way..." Ether mumbled.
With a fiery explosion, Ether gave chase once again. Hoping to watch Hitirus before he could do anything to any neighboring structures or injure other stationed elites.
Not too far from Hymo's base, Hitirus continued to dash away from the area. Taking the free time as an opportunity to get revenge, he knew Niro knew about this.
Rage at what she let happen to his Legion motivated him to look for her. Even if she was not in her city, he would murder everyone there. Slaughter the guards, butcher the parents, suffocate the offspring.
Every soul living there would meet their end. After he finished slaughtering the city, he would lead a solo crusade towards the north-east.
Where he would begin his journey to Telfeeair, the region beside Centinent's heart.
While Hitirus' body transformed to a Scaler Feral, he didn't realize there was somebody else stalking him. Befehlnadir survived the attack as well, choosing to hunt down Hitirus after ensuring Excallar was truly dead.
Ether caught Hitirus in his gaze. Puddles and dew dried up as Ether picked up more speed, further rising the temperature in the area.
Upon hearing the sounds of a blazing sun, Hitirus glanced over his shoulder to see what was happening. Then he caught Ether spinning around and slamming Tellendor before him.
"Hitirus, you will turn the other direction and flee to Uvurim," Ether ordered.
"Really?" Hitirus took a step back, lowering himself. "It's a shame that I won't heed your orders. After all, I serve no master, take suggestions from no teacher, and fight for an order."
Tellendor lost weight as Ether lifted it in Hitirus' direction. "Good. I am not your master, I am not your teacher, and I will break your order if I must. Take a step in this direction, and I will keep you in an endless loop of death."
"Funny, death doesn't scare me. I don't feel a thing when I die, and coming back doesn't drain anything. In fact, coming back to life refreshes my stamina. So come, then. Let me prove you wrong."
Ether leapt high over Hitirus, throwing bright yellow slashes from Tellendor's blade. Each strike landed and exploded, dealing very minor injuries to Hitirus.
"Ah that felt good. Like a warm bath," Hitirus taunted. "Now let me show you I can match your strength."