-Four days before Infinus' arrival, night-
Ether groaned, hugging her tight to ensure she was also warm. Then he heard a distant fiery blast, along with a cackling thunder. Prompting him to hug her tighter.
Only to feel his own arms wrapped around his body, realizing that she didn't exist. In fact, he wasn't sure which one of his girls this was. Besides, Hylo often snuck into their bed for comfort.
He drowsily forced himself to sit up, keeping his eyes lightly closed. The distant sound of fiery mayhem and hysteric screaming rung in his ears.
The moment he fully opened his eyes, he realized he wasn't in the bedroom. Instead, Tellendor rested in a crater before him. The stone road looked like the aftermath of a hellish collapse.
"What the..." Ether mumbled.
Arrows rained from above, their metallic heads reflecting the furthest away moon. Which struck Ether as odd, the furthest sister served to hold her younger sister away from their youngest.
"She..." a voice splintered his brain. "When all hope is lost. Which mistake will you make?"
He glanced at the arrows one more time, realizing the volley was frozen in place. Just like the rest of the city, which went down in a hellish inferno.
Ether looked down at Tellendor for any fractures. But it was in pristine condition, looking exactly like how he absorbed it into his body.
"Do you stay this night for a dreadful fight? You will be broken," the voice tore Ether's brain apart. "There is no telling of your survival. But if you die, the Coros legacy will be tainted."
A surge of adrenaline flooded his veins, just the thought of failing disgusted him. He wasn't going to die as a failure. The only death he was willing to accept was one that represented his family's legacy.
"Or," the voice lured his eyes to the sky once again. "You run like a coward, and forge your legacy some other way. Break free from your mold as a Coros, embrace yourself as an individual."
Tellendor hummed in its radiant glory, alluring Ether's vision down from the massive goliath that loomed overhead. A giant eye glaring right down at the city, watching the destruction.
He reached down for the weapon. The grip felt right at home in his left hand, the notion of a perfect sword. Ether raised it in defense of his family, city, Legion, loyalty, legacy, but not in his own defense.
"Very well," the voice continued.
Arrows careened towards him, whistling like frenzied angels ready to strike hell's gate closed. Ether planted his right foot down, positioning Tellendor across his shoulder.
While the arrows struck the pavement, he spun and hacked them away. Cutting many in half vertically, knocking them to the side, or even catching them before they could hit him.
By the end of the first volley, he looked down at the one he held in his hand. The cold metal body contrasted the burning buildings and the screaming Variants he couldn't see.
"You do not realize it yet. But a new era is awakening. Koroth is not destined forever," the voice spoke again.
Distracting him from a Feral tackling him. A Scaler tossed him aside, before pouncing again. Planting their knee right on his stomach, pinning Ether down for good.
Punches rained from above as they continued to ram the back of his head into the pavement. Each hit felt realistic. Stone crumbled, his vision got blurry. But his endurance was high.
His left arm smashed into the mostly unharmed road, causing it to get demolished on impact. Ether gritted his teeth as he used a piece of broken stone to smack the Feral off.
"Variants WILL become restless, they already are. You have already seen it happening. Primes, unnatural terrain. Life in Koroth only gets harder from here," the figure continued.
The sound of their ear-splitting voice staggered him. He reached up with his right hand, hoping to silence it. But the final sentence bounced off his mind like the inside of a cave.
When he reopened his eyes, he realized a slightly taller figure was standing right in front of him. The Variant lunged for an attack, coming in at blinding speed.
Only for Ether to parry their first short-sword swipe, allowing him to drive his right hand against their helmet. With a heavy clank, they retreated. Ether closed the gap with a front-kick to throw them down.
"Are you certain you are powerful enough? The Nine will test you the hardest. Demon is a Servant, a special excuse from this experiment. And Jakery... he has a role to play," the figure continued.
Ether howled in anger, turning all around to look for the speaker. "GRAAGH! WHERE ARE YOU?!?"
His eyes scanned the destroyed ruins of a strange city. He didn't realize it completely, but this event was taking place during the final day of the Infinus - Light War. Except it was night.
"Come out and fight me yourself! Stop teasing me and show me who you really are! But you won't, cause you're afraid - afraid of me!" Ether continued.
The figure from earlier recovered, then lunged at him. Ether collapsed onto the ground, hitting his head hard against the road.
"Why does it matter? I am only looking out for the liberator, a freedom maker. You don't have the right or authority to know more than me," the voice spliced his mind again.
All sounds of warfare and destruction ceased, leaving Ether in an eerie silence. The emptiness he felt in that moment resonated with the memories of being caged up and tortured by Kas.
"But if you insist on knowing..."
Ether struggled onto his back, eager to see who was there toying with him. His vision was blurry, breathing erratic, and heart beating like a drum.
Before he could even fix his eyes on the mysterious voice, something covered his eyes. The black nothingness held him down and drained his strength.
"Shh... I am making some final changes to my strategy. No peaking..."