Rewinding time a little bit, Icarth was laying unconscious in a small crater. A not-so-small amount of blood was pooling around him, flowing from his open wounds and scars. Due to the impacts that Icarth suffered from the masked figure, Icarth's legs were bent at odd angles.
It was dead silent after the cloaked figure had passed back through the barrier for Aster City. Not a single animal dared to pass through the area after the aura that was released by the cloaked figure.
It was so strong that it still lingered in the area, acting like a deterrent for any predators. Even the top ones avoided it like the plague.
That was because of a simple reason. They all felt that it was stronger than the forest guardian itself or at least at the same level.
While no predator dared to approach, Icarth wasn't doing too well. In fact, he was on the verge of death.
His breathing was shallow and the blood loss was approaching life-threatening levels.
On the verge of death, an unknown figure arrived from behind a tree. Scanning the area around Icarth's body, the figure was still apprehensive about what it was about to do.
Finally, after two whole minutes, the figure finished scanning the area and decided it was safe.
Extending its hands, universal energy moved to its command and picked up the dying Icarth. Moving the body to it, the figure disappeared along with the body to an unknown location.
-----
Icarth was having a dream. He was back with his gramps when he was a child and was enjoying life. He was back in the field where he spent over a week with his gramps training to hunt rabbits.
Icarth was having fun. It was a long time since Icarth truly had fun without any afterthoughts or any nagging feelings.
"Gramps, let's go there now!" Icarth shouted in his childish voice.
Julian chuckled and followed after Icarth.
Today Icarth was unnaturally energetic. Unlike the usually sluggish Icarth, today he was acting almost like Mia.
Icarth wanted to share so much with his gramps.
"I've gotten a job now! It's at Feng's Foods, that place which we visited where you took Mia and me to eat. I'll show it to you someday!"
"I'm going to Nova Academy now, just like you wanted!"
"I'm learning to be strong just like you..."
Icarth continued to speak and speak while staring ahead. He still felt his Gramps, the reassuring presence behind him, and thus he continued to move forward, barely noticing the tears sliding down his face.
After a considerable time, Icarth finally realised something.
"Gramps, why won't you say anything?"
No response.
"Gramps?" Icarth called out, turning around.
His heart froze as he saw his gramps. One armed, bleeding from multiple places, and with broken wings. The once-void purple scales had lost their luster and had become gray.
"...gramps?" Icarth asked in a small voice.
".....become strong....." was all that Julian replied before disappearing into a purplish rift.
"..no..NO.....Don't leave me!...I'll become strong!.....Just....don't leave me!," Icarth cried out, his voice cracking in pain. Reaching out, Icarth grabbed the empty air in vain. Tears continued to fall as he felt his knees tremble.
Feeling his vision blur, Icarth's knees gave out, and he found himself in a different location.
-------
Feeling the wind in the air, Icarth opened his eyes in confusion as he found himself falling towards an ocean.
Before he could even assess the situation, Icarth heard a voice scream.
"ICAAA!"
'MIA!' Feeling his heart leap to his throat, Icarth found his twin sister falling beside him. Her eyes were closed shut and she was flailing wildly.
Acting on instinct, Icarth propelled himself to her and wrapped his body around hers the best he could.
Seconds before the pair hit the water, Icarth closed his eyes too, took a deep breath, and braced himself for the pain.
*BOOM*
At the speed that the twins were falling, the collision with the still water made a booming sound as they entered the water.
Icarth felt that his body was on fire as he was surrounded by water. All his broken bones screamed in pain, most of his muscles shredded, and blood flowed freely from his scars.
'Scars?' Icarth thought dimly. Since when did he have scars when he was a kid? Not being able to maintain any coherent train of thought, Icarth lost track of time in the pain.
His heart thumped in his chest, fighting for each pulse. His lungs screamed in pain as he tried to hold his breath the best he could. Losing control, Icarth opened his mouth and swallowed a mouthful of water.
And another.
One more.
He continued to fill his lungs. No longer able to hold on, Icarth felt his vision turning black. Even after succumbing to the darkness, Ica didn't let go of Mia.
-------
Icarth was in a limbo of sorts. Darkness was everywhere for all that he could see. All the pain he had been feeling had vanished. Replacing it was tiredness like no other. It permeated through his body and made Icarth very sluggish.
'Where am I?' Icarth wondered trying to disregard the tiredness. Scanning the area, Icarth only found the darkness surrounding him. Gazing into the darkness, a flash of uncertainty rushed through Icarth as he thought he felt something. As quickly as it came, the feeling disappeared and Icarth soon forgot it.
Feeling that he could move, Icarth tried walking in a certain direction. Walking and walking, Icarth saw that he wasn't making any progress at all.
Stopping, Icarth slumped down. He was truly tired. He had trained for the last 10 years of his life and yet he hadn't achieved much at all. he was still on the level of his classmates. And he couldn't lift a finger in front of that man. Now he just wanted to rest. Icarth felt his eyes grow drowsy.
The darkness responded to his tiredness and started to encroach on him without him noticing it.
Icarth had already laid down. He was going to sleep now. Just like he always did. But something stopped him from fully falling asleep for some reason.
Thinking, Icarth started to sort through his thoughts.
'Wait how am I able to move?' Icarth thought in confusion remembering his wounds. His eyelids finally started to droop.
'Water.....I drowned...' Icarth remembered.
'Ah....I'm dying...' Icarth came to the conclusion after a few moments of silence. Well, it was the conclusion that anyone could draw from what was happening to him. Satisfied, Icarth closed his eyes. But something was nagging him. Just one more thought that demanded his attention.
Circulating the last of his energy, Icarth tried to remember what he had to remember.
'MIA!" Icarth thought with fright, finally recalling what was bugging him. His closed eyes, flew open, his crimson eyes filled with worry. Looking around frantically he couldn't find his twin.
Leaping to his feet with an energy that he didn't have, Icarth started to run in a random direction. The tiredness still weighed down on him, but Icarth disregarded it all and ran.
Feeling his feet against an unknown ground, Icarth found that he was barefoot. Drawing on deeper energy, Icarth activated his partial transformation and shot forward.
His hair grew out, claws elongated from his hands and feet, and his eyes becoming sharper than ever. Feeling the strength rushing in, Icarth started running faster.
Suddenly Icarth caught a glimpse of something in the darkness. Or it was more accurate to say that he felt it. The same feeling of uncertainty passed through Icarth as he instinctively tried to reach for that unknown energy.
Whatever it was, Icarth somehow knew that it was the solution to getting out of wherever he was. Receiving no response from the energy, Icarth found himself forgetting that it was there at all.
'I got distracted. Focus.' Icarth reprimanded himself and focussed his mind.
The tiredness was still there. In fact, Icarth currently felt like he was running through water at that moment.
But he didn't care. Not until he found Mia.
Running, Icarth kept scanning the darkness around him to try to find Mia.
'Where are you, Mia?'
'Keep running.'
Icarth forced himself to run.
An unknown amount of time had passed. The sensation of running through the water had morphed into running into walls with each step Icarth took.
Every step forward, Icarth felt the tiredness grow inside his body.
Every step forward was slower than the last.
And every step forward took more out of Icarth than the last.
'Must find Mia.'
'Keep moving.'
Icarth repeated these two thoughts and moved his feet. From running, Icarth had slowed down to a walk.
Scanning the surroundings, Icarth found that there was a tiny dot of light somewhere ahead of him.
'....light...'
Having no other option, Icarth kept moving forward. Towards the only place that might hold any clues.
Focussing on the light, Icarth found it harder to move forward.
'Find Mia...'
'Walk....'
'Sleep- NO'
Icarth firmed his thoughts. He couldn't afford to sleep here. He was sure that once he slept here, he wouldn't wake up again.
Suddenly Icarth stopped. He couldn't lift his foot to move forward. Mustering all his strength, to Ica's horror, he could only lift it a cm off the black ground.
Icarth dropped his foot back down. His body felt like it was made of solid rock, not meant to move at all. The feeling of tiredness almost overwhelmed him once more.
Finding it harder and harder to form thoughts, Icarth suddenly had an idea.
He let go.
Thoughts stopped forming. Icarth's mind was a completely blank slate. Empty of all thoughts, Icarth didn't even remember why he was there. Nor did he try to recall. Completely on instinct, Icarth found himself walking forward.
The same familiar feeling of uncertainty flowed through Icarth once more stronger than ever, but this time Icarth didn't try to process it. After all, he wasn't even thinking.
The previous insurmountable hurdle was overcome in a second.
Step.
Step.
Step. Step.
Putting one foot after the other, Icarth kept moving forwards. The unknown energy slowly started to react, following Icarth towards the light.
All the tiredness still bore down on him. But Icarth ignored it all. Or rather he couldn't process it anyways due to his blank mind.
Slowly but surely, Icarth walked towards the light in the distance. After what felt like an eternity, Icarth was just a couple of steps from the light. Even when the light was right in front of him, he didn't show any reaction. Icarth just kept walking. Slowly lifting his back foot, Icarth placed it in front.
10 steps left.
While Icarth couldn't process what was happening to his body, he was still finding it hard to move. The tiredness had condensed and become some sort of physical energy that weighed down on Icarth's body. Literally increasing Icarth's body weight, he found it extremely hard to move his feet.
Yet he didn't stop.
Step.
9 steps left.
The tiredness energy doubled, increasing the pressure on Icarth's body even more. Finally, Icarth's blood vessels burst under the increased weight of the blood.
Step.
8 steps left.
Arteries and thicker vessels burst and blood started to flow out of his ears, nose, and eyes.
Step.
7 steps left.
Icarth couldn't breathe anymore. His diaphragm didn't have the strength to expand and contract.
Step.
6 steps left.
Icarth's muscles were on the verge of tearing.
Step.
5 steps left.
Tearing, all of Icarth's muscles were shredded and Icarth collapsed to his knees. Shuffling forward with his torn muscles Icarth continued forward.
4 steps left.
Bones creaking dangerously, Icarth's bones were already bent and on the verge of completely shattering. Still Icarth struggled forwards.
3 steps left.
Splintering apart, all of Icarth's bones, except for his head and ribs shattered and violently pierced Icarth from the inside.
Unable to move physically, Icarth reached out with his mind and called for the unknown energy. Finally reacting, the unknown energy moved to Icarth's command. Using it, Icarth pushed himself forward by another step.
2 Steps left.
Compressed. Icarth felt that his heart was compressed to an extreme level. Several ribs had caved in and pierced his internals and were just a step away from reaching his heart.
Channeling the unknown energy, Icarth shifted his body one step closer.
1 step left.
And then Icarth stopped. The unknown energy failed to move him forward to complete the last step. Trying once more, Icarth failed again.
Icarth's body finally collapsed, his ribs pushing inwards, finally reaching Icarth's heart.
And then his heart stopped.
Icarth finally stopped trying or more accurately his body stopped trying and the unknown energy dispersed. Icarth had long since stopped thinking.
And thus, Icarth so close to the end, failed to take the last step.
-------
------
-------
The unknown energy that was dispersing suddenly gathered with a rush. The black space trembled as a figure of a hand was formed entirely out of that unknown energy. Gently nudging Icarth's destroyed body forward, the hand helped Icarth reach the light that he never could.