J'emm J'axx burst into the throne chamber, urgency propelling him forward.
The atmosphere in the hall crackled with tension as the M'arzz council gathered to address the aftermath of a recent earthquake. The grand hall, a testament to Martian architecture, now served as the stage for the high meeting.
King S'turnn J'axx, a formidable figure with monarchical powers, sat on the throne, flanked by Queen Regent J'arlia J'axx. The room buzzed with discussions about the quake when J'emm interrupted, urgency etched across his face.
"Father, Mother," J'emm's voice echoed through the vast chamber, cutting through the regal atmosphere. The nobility turned their attention to the prince, sensing the gravity of the situation. His eyes, ablaze with urgency, met those of his parents, a silent plea for immediate action.
However, R'ess E'dda, the Martian Consul-General, sternly intervened, raising a hand to halt the young prince. "This is not the time for your interruptions, J'emm. We are discussing the earthquake that struck barely an hour ago. The seismic aftershocks are of paramount concern."
"We've been betrayed. Zion, the one who pledged assistance, had ulterior motives. He proposed terraforming Mars, but it was a deception. His true intent is to exploit our vulnerabilities," J'emm declared, his words carrying the weight of betrayal.
King S'turnn's brow furrowed in disbelief. As a telepathic force, he had checked Zion's mind and found nothing that would threaten the Martians. "I probed Zion's thoughts myself. There was no indication of malice or deceit. How could this be?"
R'ess E'dda scoffed vindictively. "I told you not to trust that shape-shifter. Now he is backstabbing us."
"It is not time to argue, Sir R'ess," J'emm intervened, "We need to prepare for the oncoming invasion!"
"J'emm, where are R'ohh K'arr and Zyrra K'elthar?" King S'turnn questioned, noticing the absence of the M'hontrrs. The leading M'hontrr R'ohh K'arr's absence creating a bad premonition.
J'emm, hearing his father's question, could only lower his head in shame, but he had to answer. They need to know. "They helped me escape so I could inform you of his betrayal. M'hontrrs R'ohh K'arr and Zyrra K'elthar stopped Zion from capturing all of us and attacking us unnoticed."
The Martians frowned, in their own biological way, at J'emm's answer. They couldn't believe one of their best M'hontrr couldn't stop the alien and had to resort to this. They could see how powerful the enemy could be.
Yet King S'turnn was calm. He was a king, and they had already dealt with their own Civil war before, and now they had to fight another war with an invader. He analyzed the situation. It was time to prepare for war, and he could use it to unite his people as one.
"Order J'onn J'onzz to return; his home needs his service again," King S'turnn declared calmly. "We will prepare for war. J'emm, show us what you saw?"
Meeting his father's gaze, J'emm obliged by opening his mind and revealing everything that transpired.
***
Zion was calmly watching the transformation happen, a small smile on his lips. His gaze stale as he watched the Martian ground transform.
The golden lines covered the whole marble city, drowning it in its ethereal glow. But the show was not yet done. The outer towers glowed with power as an otherworldly force took control.
J'emm moved next to Zion, his gaze never moving from the holograms displaying the changes. He could feel the planet turn, the very earth shaking, the tower trembling. His home would never be the same after this, and he was standing in its epicenter.
J'emm scrutinized the image, trying to comprehend the process, but his mind was shaken by the image. This hologram showed what was happening outside the walls of this crystal city, and the view shocked him to his core.
The ground had turned pitch black, and the black was spreading like a plague. The rust-red sands of M'arzz were slowly turning into a pitch-black abyss, and the black plague extended its tendrils out, infecting the uninfected areas. The whole grounds around the city were turning black fast, with only the crystal city glowing golden.
"What is happening?" J'emm questioned, his voice shaky.
The guards felt the worry in his voice, causing M'hontrr R'ohh K'arr to move forward to guard the prince, and his subordinate, Zyrra K'elthar, followed closely. Their gazes collectively focused on the man of the subject.
Zion turned to them at their question, his smile never leaving his lips, yet his eyes were cold. Zion's eyes focused on them, sending the chills of a predator's gaze. He smiled, his canines a bit more visible, "A change, Prince J'emm, a much-needed one for Martians."
Zion lifted his free hand, pointing it at J'emm. "It's time for you to carry your burden."
***
Zion projected his telekinesis around J'emm, locking him in a suffocating bubble and pulled him closer.
J'emm was stunned, shocked at the force that held him. J'emm tried to break free using his own telekinesis, but the force around him didn't even budge. The psychic field clutching him was stronger than anything he ever felt, even R'ohh K'arr's, during training.
"Why are you doing this?" J'emm struggled with his words, his eyes focused on Zion.
What met his gaze were eyes with no emotions behind. "You will understand wh-"
But before Zion could finish, a powerful force slammed into him, pushing him back. Zion stumbled back, his hold on J'emm loosening, his other hand still stuck in the crystal cylinder. Zion steadied himself but felt his hold on J'emm break; he didn't need to look to know the M'hontrrs had broken his hold.
"You have betrayed our trust," R'ohh K'arr stated with a severe tone as he stepped forward. He protected J'emm behind him.
Zion didn't respond and slammed the full force of his psychic field on R'ohh K'arr and used his other hand to attack Zyrra K'elthar by transforming it into a tentacle. The M'hontrrs reacted swiftly in response by dodging the attack.
R'ohh K'arr rolled to the side, avoiding the attack and used his own to attack Zion's psyche, but was met with a mental wall. Undeterred, he quickly moved in. R'ohh K'arr morphed into a rhino-looking creature and charged at Zion.
Zyrra K'elthar, who dodged Zion's tentacle attack, noticed R'ohh K'arr's charge and
assisted him by transforming into a giant and clutching Zion's hand down. Zion, now with no free arm to hold, watched as R'ohh K'arr charged at him like a rhino with his horns pointed at him. He pushed R'ohh K'arr with his telekinesis, but R'ohh K'arr defended himself with ease while using the brute charge to his advantage.
R'ohh K'arr, unperturbed, slammed into Zion, bursting him like a bubble. Zion's flesh torn, his chest ripped, cleaved into by giant horns. R'ohh K'arr halted his charge, sliding on the crystal floor, and turned back to the shredded Zion.
"Hmm," he hummed to himself, feeling that something was afoot.
And not to his surprise, the small pieces of Zion floated back to the crystal where his hand was still imprisoned. His other hand lifted Zyrra K'elthar and slammed him on the hard, cold floor, loosening his grip, and joined the morphing rest.
R'ohh K'arr took a step back, wary growing in his heart. He turned to Zyrra K'elthar, who struggled to stand, and J'emm, who was observing everything with shock.
[Process complete]
An electronic voice cleaved the tense atmosphere in the room, discharging the electrified air. The crystal column that held Zion's hand split in two, releasing his hand. A green hand with Omnitrix at its palm stood up, on its finger and looked at them before jumping into the mesh.
The morphing spear stopped.
Like a youngling breaking out of the egg, the ball of morphed flesh burst forth as a massive hand ripped out. Proceeding the hand, other limbs burst forth, bringing forth a monstrosity that Martians only saw in their nightmares.
Its limbs were thick and covered in black scales, lifting it to near 30 feet in height. Its fingers adorned with sharp claws that seemed to cut the air itself. Its long tails with spikes adorning them. Two bony wings grew from its spiky back, its tips containing fingers tips with their own sharp claws. Its massive front limbs slammed on the crystal floor as the beast opened its three mouths and let out a bestial roar.
"ROOOAAAARRR!!!"
The three-headed hydra was looking at the tiny Martian snacks before it with a hunger similar to a predator. Martians, being psychic, felt the hunger of the beast before them, losing any conscience and saw them as nothing but food.
'We need to take him down and control the tower,' R'ohh K'arr said to Zyrra K'elthar through their psychic link.
Zyrra K'elthar understood the implication; they needed to defeat the enemy before them. He was too strong to let roam, and they needed to control this tower to stop or reverse whatever this guy had done. R'ohh K'arr analyzed the situation, scanning the body of the beast that sent chills down his spine.
The mobility of this beast seemed low, but its many assets made up for the lack of it. Its long and flexible tail, three heads, and the wings that could act like another limb, all covered in spikes and scales.
They all were deadly.
'Stab at its side, electrocute him,' R'ohh K'arr instructed, 'Use maximum output.'
Zyrra K'elthar nodded in acknowledgment and pulled his electro-staff and morphed his body into an agile form. He lowered his center of gravity, his legs three segmented, like an insect, compressed. He was getting ready for a sudden dash to close the distance.
R'ohh K'arr, on the other hand, grew in size to combat the beast and grew an extra pair of hands. He grew to 15 feet, his limbs thick and strong, filled with muscles. He grabbed his electro-staff with his lower right hand while he got ready to charge.
J'emm, standing behind them, was shaking in fear. The beast's hunger was causing all his instincts to scream 'run away.' He could feel the death before him; it was unlike anything he ever felt as the prince of Martians.
This was true fear before a predator.
For a flower to grow in a greenhouse, this was the first time meeting true terror. This was outside the castle walls, outside, in the wilderness with the unknown. And the true terror came knocking on his door and brought him to its cave.
'J'emm, pull yourself together,' R'ohh K'arr reprimanded J'emm J'axx.
J'emm snapped out of terror, stopping his collapsing mind. He looked at the M'hontrr, ready to fight this beast even in terror. J'emm pulled himself together, to fight his fear, to face the adversary that threatened his home.
"What are you all doing?"