The huge white dragon splat its wings as it hovered above ground. It looked poised to destroy the whole city
" And look who's here to greet the bastard " Biast spoke with a huge grin on their face and gestured to their right where a massive diamond shaped crystal of ice was rising high up into the sky.
" Is that ? " Clive began
" Its her…. Shiva's dominant " Tiamat spoke, cutting him off
" Well this just made our mission a whole lot easier. We don't have to infiltrate the fortress now" Biast spoke, clearly now aware that the other' dragon' he was referring to was in fact a new Eikon.
Clive couldn't think about the mission. His eyes were fixed upon the new figure
" That's no dragon. He's an Eikon. Although I can't say I know his element " He spoke
The other three looked at Clive dumbfounded which was understandable considering that in the History of Valisthea only eight Eikons in total have been recorded, each with a unique elemental affinity—one warden each of fire, water, thunder, ice, wind, earth, light, and darkness. The common belief that two Eikons of the same element cannot coexist.
Before they could pose any questions challenging his words Clive spoke, " I can feel it... the sheer amount of Aether coursing through its body far surpasses any normal dragon "
Clive turned to Tiamat when he was done. It was clear that Tiamat harbored many unanswered questions in his mind but But time wasn't a luxury they could afford. They had act quickly. They had to change their plans again now that Shiva's dominant was no longer at the fortress.
Tiamat gestured to them, " Come on. Time to get out of the city "
" What ? ! " Biast shrieked
" But we just got in ! "
" You don't wanna be here when they start battling. If that thing really is a Eikon, then their fight will level this whole city. Now come on "
With that they bolted in the opposite direction, weaving through the panicked throngs of the remaining people of the city who hadn't yet been evacuated.
Up above them the crystal of ice rose higher and higher into the sky. The crystal was channeling flakes of Ice and moisture from the air into itself creating a dazzling display of shimmering ice flakes spiralling around it. Inside Shiva's dominant lay with her eyes closed and her cape covering her face. The crystal wasn't just a beautiful phenomenon. It was the byproduct of the Dominant priming herself for her transformation into her Eikon form.
All of a sudden cracks began appearing on the crystal's surface and then it exploded outwards, into a million pieces, showering the streets below in a glittering ice storm and the Warden of Ice, Shiva hovered there. Her hair floated just behind her head, adorned with golden combs and she donned a silver crown. Unlike other Eikons who were large and had a beastly form, Shiva was unique for she still possessed a human like form
For a fleeting moment, both Shiva and the newly arrived Eikon locked eyes across the vast distance, considering their options. Ironically, Shiva's ice cold heart was feeling pain. She knew that their battle would kill thousands of innocent people and they was little that she could do to save them.
" He….He's different. Is that sheer power I sense within him ? r O the lack of fear ? " Shiva thought to herself ,
Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly the bolts of blue lighting erupted from the air around Other Eikon heading straight for Shiva who didn't flinch for a second. With an almost casual look she put up a hand in front of her conjuring a shield of ice and Aether. The bolts shattered the ice shield but left Shiva unharmed.
Without another thought she soared towards the other Eikon poised to land a strike, shards of massive ice crystal swarmed around her. As she drew closer, the other Eikon, his form cloaked in an aura of pulsating blue electricity, unleashed a powerful downwards wingbeat, launching himself skyward, towards the heavens while releasing a shockwave in every direction.
Shiva instinctively put up a crystal shield in front of her but the shockwave shattered it like it was mere glass, sending her flying backwards towards a tall tower. She hit her head hard on it and landed on a balcony nearby.
Quickly reeling from the impact she got back on her heels and flew to the top of the tower and hovered just above it, scanning her surroundings for any sign of her opponent.
All of a sudden one of the floating platforms of the Insaldurian army started firing at her from a distance. sending arks of blue bolts of energy towards her.
" Pathetic…" She thought to herself as she sent a volley of blast hurling towards the floating fortress while dodging the attacks against herself. shortly after which it went down in flames. Despite its massive size and armament it was no match for the power of an Eikon.
Suddenly Shiva's eyes widened. She sensed he was right on top of her. She was able to do so because the mere presence of an Eikon sent ripples through the Aether in the air and Shiva, being an Eikon herself could sense this.
She glided forward as a the Eikon swooped past her with his claws outstretched. For a split second Shiva caught sight of his eyes. They were golden and pierced straight through her eyes.
" You shall die by my like the others mortal" A voice ringed in her mind. It was the other Eikon. It spoke an archaic language unknown to her, yet somehow she was able to perfectly understand it.
Before she could even contemplate the meaning of the voice. his massive wings collided with her, sending her flying backwards. Without even giving her a second to think, the other Eikon grabbed her by her waist sinking his claws into her. It pierced her body sending pain shooting through her body and proceeded to fly towards the ground, intent on killing her,
Shiva's was growing weak by the second. She was used too much of her Aether reserves. She could de-prime any second. Knowing it was now or never she used every last ounce of her remaining Aether reserves and cast one last spell.
Massive crystals of ice erupted from the ground all around them radiating outwards from her. Some of these crystals towered above the city's tallest buildings, momentarily obscuring the sun. The Eikon, clearly startled by this unexpected surge of power, momentarily loosened his grip, allowing Shiva to slip free hoping to fly higher to protect himself. But it was a moment too late as a crystal pierced straight through his heart as he let out a rorar that boomed thought the sky. Shiva gave a weak smile before closing her eyes as she fell to the ground, unconscious,
Clive's legs were running as fast they could as he and his companions were desperately trying to escape the battle raging on top of them. Clive was carrying Biast on his back since his leg was injured. He had decided that he would rather die attempting to save his friend than leave him to die.
Rubble and ice were falling everywhere around them. It was a miracle that they had survived this long let alone with a wounded person.
All of a sudden massive crystals of ice began to burst out of the ground around them. Thankfully for them it had missed them but one of the ice crystals which had risen high up began to develop cracks in its bottom, unable to bear its own weight.
" Uhh Clive " Biast mumbled, searching for words as his gaze was fixed on the cracks which were now growing at an alarming rate.
Clive immediately took of running but he made a rather foolish move. Tiamat and Aevis who were running well ahead of him since they did not have the extra weight to carry . He did not want to get separated from so he decided to run in the forward direction rather than behind him.
Moments later the crystal's base shattered unable to bear its own weight and it began to fall on the city below. Clive was running but could only watch in horror as the crystal was slowly falling on top of top of them. It brushed against the nearby buildings on its way down, covering the streets below with a mixture of ice and rubble. Then, with a thunderous crash, the crystal slammed into the ground It shattered sending plumes of smoke, making the air thick with dust.