A powerful, low-frequency noise that traveled over long distances, echoing through the air like a reverberating thunderclap as the Mammoth blew his trunk. "W-what the hell...is that thing?" Rai uttered as his voice wavered in fear of what they laid their eyes upon.
They could all feel the tremendous amount of essence that leaked from the beast, as if it was trying to hide it but just couldn't. "It's...unending.." Abigail stammered as she sensed its essence pool, it was beyond anything she had ever sensed.
"T-there's no way we'd ever be able to beat that thing.." Li said realizing the painful truth. The only plausible options that was available to them was to accept their fate, attempting to escape would lead to casualties given the range of the Mammoth's noise alone.
"You humans are all the same." A loud and thunderous voice bellowed from above them.
From the ground, Rai and the others stared at the mammoth whose green ominous eyes looked down on them with terror and confusion. Their reaction was completely understandable given they couldn't comprehend what they were witnessing.
"Y-you can talk?" Rai asked, finding the courage to communicate with the beast in front of them.
"Yes I can despite how you view me as." The Mammoth responded with it's voice thundering through the semi destroyed vegetative landscape.
Rai stood to his feet, the terror he felt reduced by a margin now that he had a way to verify if the Mammoth had the intention of destroying them.
"Who are you?" Rai with a soft and calm voiced questioned the beast.
"I am Gaianox, I am the protector of this forest and the progenitor of earth essence." He replied.
"Wait what!?" Michael exclaimed. "What do you mean the progenitor of earth essence!?" He added.
The Mammoth chuckled, a slight vibration in the ground occured as a result of the mammoth vibrating it's vocal cords. "Humans, such gullible and ignorant creatures. Where do you actually think essence comes from?" Gaianox threw a question at all of them.
In this world, essence was an ability considered to have come about as a result of dimensional pollution. As foretold in history, the barrier seperating the human realm from the other realms cracked by an unknown force and the essence from the other dimension seeped into that of the weak and feeble human realm. Those lucky enough to survive this contamination awakened with extraordinary abilities and those who didn't met their end.
"Essence comes from us, the Primordial Essenbeasts." Gaianox added.
"E-essence comes from.." Abigail stammered.
"The Primordial Essenbeasts?" Sylvia spoke after all this while.
"I don't understand, what do you mean essence comes from the Primordial Essenbeasts!?" Rai proclaimed, who could blame him? Everything he knew till now was nothing more than tall tales created by society due to their ignorance.
"What do you mean we humans are all the same?" Li asked, he wasn't that much bothered about essence and it's origins mainly because he could barely use it. Unlike Rai who had no idea how to control it, Li had so little essence which automatically disqualified him from having a future as an Essenmage. However with the sheer will and determination to not give up, he discovered a way he could fight with the little essence that he possessed.
"Thanks to your ignorance, you continuously create problems and crisis for your world. Your kind acts without reason and in so doing endangers everything that lives within this realm, just like you five have done." Gaianox spoke with utter disappointment given that he was assigned as the protector of a region of the earth.
"What do you mean we have done?" Out of curiosity, Abigail questioned the gigantic beast.
Gaianox raised his head and stared at the sky, searching for the unknown that lies beneath the cloud. "It won't be long now till they arrive, thanks to you." He answered.
"Till who arrives?" Rai said.
Gaianox remained silent for a couple of seconds before lowering his head to face the five mages. "The Generals of the gates of Hellius."
"The General of the gates of Hellius? What the hell is that?" Michael inquired, it sounded like a bunch of gibberish to him.
"All you need to know is, they are much more stronger than ordinary paradoxes and now because you have destroyed the prism that kept my essence sealed within that temple. They can now track me down." Gaianox spoke with annoyance.
"Wait, sealed? That Prism isn't an artifact that grants Essenmages high levels of essence?" Rai questioned again.
"No, That Prism was developed specially by Lucious the first to seal my neverending essence within the confines of the temple to prevent them from finding me. After the first great war between humans and demons, Lucious discovered the true intentions of the paradoxes. With no time to explain he sealed me within that temple using the prism, however my essence was still too great for human hands to handle. So the little that seeped out, I manipulated the temple and for decades I have kept intruders from getting close to the Prism. Till you five showed up." Gaianox answered.
"Oh shit.." Rai muttered as he realized that they had messed up in the worst possible way. Destroying the Prism was the worst thing they could have done, the true reason as to why Lucious hid the Prism was not to prevent humanity from being corrupted by such power. It was to prevent what would happen if such power was released.
"What have I done.." Abigail fell to her knees as she was the one who made the decision to destroy the prism and the temple, so the responsibility of what would happen next fell on her head.
There was a faint crack in the sky, an ominous line stretching across the horizon, its edges tinged with an eerie glow. As the tension builds, the crack widens, tearing through the fabric of reality with a deafening roar. Lightning crackles along its jagged edges, casting menacing shadows below.
"What is happening!?" Sylvia exclaimed as they were all baffled by the phenomenon that occurred.
"He's here.." Gaianox spoke softly as a red beam of light fell from the crack in the sky and on the ground.
All eyes were fixated on the beam of light as it died down and revealed a frightening demon, its form twisted and grotesque. Its towering silhouette looms ominously, adorned with jagged horns that pierce the air like daggers. Fiery red eyes burning with malice, casting an unsettling glow that chills the bravest of hearts. Sharp, serrated claws extend from its monstrous limbs, ready to rend and tear with primal fury.
"Finally..I have found you, Gaianox the Earth Primordial Essenbeast." It's voice echoes like the rumble of thunder, instilling dread in all who hear it.