Chapter 25: Dawn of Destruction
The soft glow of dawn barely touched the horizon as the camp stirred to life. Yogan had hardly slept, his mind still replaying the events of the previous day. Renji's recklessness weighed heavily on him, but there was something else. Something darker, lurking beneath the surface. The village of Stone's Rest had felt wrong since their arrival. He could sense it—the land was alive, the spirits angry. But no one knew why.
Kaiya sat beside him, her head resting on her arms as she watched the last embers of the fire smolder. "Something's coming, Yogan. I can feel it."
Yogan nodded. "The spirits aren't done with us yet."
Just as the words left his mouth, a strange, low rumble began to shake the ground. At first, it was subtle, almost like the earth was groaning in its sleep. But it grew louder, more intense. Yogan shot to his feet, his senses on high alert. The ground beneath them trembled, shifting in uneven waves as if something massive was moving just below the surface.
"Wake up!" Yogan shouted to the others, his voice cutting through the still morning air.
The expedition jolted awake, scrambling to grab their weapons and prepare for what was coming. The rumbling grew, and then, without warning, the earth split open in several places across the village. From the massive cracks emerged hulking, terrifying creatures: badgermoles. Their enormous claws tore through the earth with ease, and their blind, rock-like faces sniffed the air as they surfaced.
The badgermoles moved with unnatural speed, their massive forms causing the ground to shake with each step. At the edge of the village, one of the beasts turned its massive head toward the cluster of homes, its claws digging into the earth as it prepared to strike.
And then they saw it—small, almost laughably so, but unmistakably malicious: a beaver-like spirit with sharp teeth and a body that seemed to shift between solid and transparent. It perched atop one of the badgermoles, chittering in a high-pitched voice that sent shivers down Yogan's spine.
"This spirit is controlling them!" Kaiya exclaimed, eyes wide in realization.
The spirit let out a cackling screech, and with a flick of its tail, it commanded the badgermoles to charge. Chaos erupted as the creatures lunged forward, tearing through the village's defenses with ease. Homes crumbled under the weight of their massive bodies, the ground shaking as if the earth itself were revolting.
The villagers panicked, their cries filling the air as they scrambled for safety. Earthbenders among them rushed to the front lines, using their bending to try and slow the advance of the badgermoles. Walls of stone erupted from the ground, forming barricades, but the badgermoles tore through them like they were made of paper, their claws ripping into the earthbenders' defenses.
Yogan's heart pounded as he and Kaiya joined the fray. The badgermoles, though under the spirit's influence, moved like wild animals—blind, destructive, but not entirely malicious. Yogan could sense their confusion, their fear. They were being used, controlled by the beaver-like spirit that darted between them, urging them forward.
"Kaiya, don't hurt them! They're not in control!" Yogan shouted over the chaos.
Kaiya nodded, her face determined as she used her airbending to redirect the badgermoles, pushing them away from the villagers without causing harm. Her movements were fluid and precise, a testament to the gentle, passive style she had mastered. Together, they worked in harmony, using bursts of air to nudge the creatures off course, guiding them away from the more vulnerable areas of the village.
But not everyone shared their philosophy.
Renji, with his students by his side, took a more aggressive approach. He leapt into the air, using powerful gusts of wind to propel himself above the chaos. "Stop holding back, Yogan!" he shouted, his voice dripping with impatience. "These beasts will tear the village apart!"
Renji unleashed a devastating blast of air toward one of the badgermoles, sending it crashing into the side of a stone building. The creature let out a pained roar as it collided with the wall, but it quickly recovered, its claws digging into the rubble as it prepared for another strike. Renji's students followed his lead, attacking with the same aggression, their airbending sharp and unrelenting. They weren't guiding the creatures—they were fighting them.
"Renji!" Yogan shouted, frustration boiling over as he dodged another badgermole that had been knocked off course by one of his brother's blasts. "You're going to make it worse!"
Renji scoffed, launching another powerful gust toward the badgermoles. "They don't deserve mercy! They're destroying everything in their path!"
Yogan grit his teeth, his focus torn between trying to protect the village and stopping Renji from causing even more destruction. The badgermoles weren't the real enemy. It was the spirit—the small, malicious beaver that had set all of this into motion.
"We need to take out the spirit!" Yogan called out to Kaiya, who was fending off two badgermoles with graceful swirls of air.
Kaiya nodded, her face set with determination. "I'll try to get closer!"
But the beaver spirit, sensing their intent, let out another high-pitched screech, commanding the badgermoles to dig deeper into the earth. The ground rumbled violently as the creatures burrowed beneath the surface, only to reappear moments later in different parts of the village, their attacks unpredictable and chaotic.
Nearby, Kezin stood calmly amid the destruction, his eyes narrowed as he observed the chaos. He moved with precision, his hands fluid as he summoned streams of water from the moisture in the air. With quick, practiced movements, he used the water to form barriers, slowing the advance of the badgermoles. But Yogan noticed something strange—Kezin wasn't using his full strength. His waterbending, though effective, lacked the power Yogan knew he was capable of.
"Kezin!" Yogan shouted, barely dodging a chunk of earth as it flew past him. "Why are you holding back?"
Kezin glanced at Yogan, his expression unreadable. "There's no need for full force yet. We don't want to provoke them further."
Yogan frowned but didn't have time to question it further. The badgermoles were relentless, their claws tearing through everything in their path. Yogan could see the devastation unfolding around him—homes reduced to rubble, villagers screaming as they fled for their lives. The air was thick with dust and panic, and through it all, the beaver spirit chittered and laughed, perched atop one of the badgermoles like a twisted commander.
"Enough of this!" Yogan muttered under his breath, his frustration reaching its peak.
He focused, summoning the air around him as he centered himself. With a deep breath, Yogan unleashed a powerful gust of wind, aiming not at the badgermoles, but at the beaver spirit itself. The blast caught the spirit off guard, sending it flying off the badgermole's back and into the air.
The spirit screeched in fury, its small form flipping through the air as it tried to regain control. But Yogan was faster. With another precise burst of air, he pinned the spirit to the ground, its tiny body thrashing against the force of the wind.
Kaiya joined him, her movements quick and fluid as she helped secure the spirit in place. "We've got it!"
But the victory was short-lived. The beaver spirit let out one final, desperate shriek, and the ground beneath them exploded. The badgermoles, sensing their master's distress, burrowed beneath the earth once more, their massive forms disappearing into the ground.
The earth quaked violently as the creatures moved underground, and then, with a deafening roar, the ground split wide open. One of the badgermoles resurfaced directly beneath the village square, its claws tearing through the foundation of the remaining buildings. The destruction was immediate and devastating—stone walls crumbled, and entire homes collapsed into the gaping maw of the earth.
Yogan's heart sank as he watched the village fall apart, the sheer force of the badgermole's rampage too much to stop. Villagers screamed as the ground gave way beneath them, their homes swallowed by the earth. In the chaos, Yogan lost sight of Kaiya, the dust and debris clouding his vision.
"Kaiya!" he shouted, panic rising in his chest.
A distant cry reached his ears, muffled by the sounds of destruction. He fought his way through the rubble, dodging falling debris as he searched for her. His heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing as the devastation unfolded around him. The village was gone—completely destroyed. And still, the badgermoles rampaged, driven mad by the spirit's influence.
Finally, Yogan spotted her—Kaiya was pinned beneath a large piece of stone, her face pale but determined as she struggled to free herself. Without hesitation, Yogan rushed to her side, using a powerful gust of air to lift the stone just enough for her to escape.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Kaiya nodded, wincing as she stood. "I'm fine, but the village…"
Yogan looked around, his heart sinking at the devastation. Stone's Rest was gone—entire homes swallowed by the earth, lives lost in the chaos. The badgermoles had vanished back into the ground, leaving only destruction in their wake. Dust and debris filled the air, and the anguished cries of villagers echoed through the ruins.
Kaiya leaned on Yogan for support, her breathing heavy as she took in the shattered landscape. "We couldn't stop it," she said, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Yogan clenched his fists, anger boiling inside him. "We'll stop this spirit, but we need to be smarter. This was madness."
In the distance, Renji regrouped with his students, their expressions grim but determined. Kezin, still calm, approached slowly, surveying the damage with an unreadable expression.
"We failed to protect them," Yogan muttered, his heart heavy.
Kaiya shook her head. "Not yet. We'll make this right."
Yogan nodded, determination hardening his features. The spirit had unleashed chaos, but they would find a way to stop it—no matter the cost.
[A/N: Hey dudes and dudets. The schedule for this will be reduced from 5 chapters a week to 3 a week Starting next week. For Patreon the schedule will be the same as now. Somewhere between 5 and 10 chapters a week. For now you can read 10 chapters ahead available on patreon.com/saiyanprincenovels]