~Chapter 21~
~ always and forever~
"So, do you even have a plan?" Eliza looked at me dryly.
"How exactly are you going to beat a giant 100 times your size?" she added.
I was lost in my own head, trying to figure out how I could manipulate the earth, rocks, sand, and all that. I didn't even hear her at first.
"You break your poor sister's heart ignoring me," she said, pretending to be sad.
I knew ice and earth had similar properties—they were both solid and stiff, making them relatively easy to control. Now that I actually thought about it, rock was just a stage between solid earth and loose sand. That kind of sucked for me because, even though I somehow managed to learn ice casting, I'd nearly drowned in my own water spell the first time I'd tried using it.
But if I could learn water and sand casting, I was sure I could master rock casting. That would bring me closer to understanding fire and wind—hopefully.
"Madoxx!" Eliza roared, slapping me in the head.
"Ouch! What did you do that for, Eliza?" I said angrily.
"Well, if you listened to me, I wouldn't have to," she said slyly.
We walked through the dark forest, filled with humongous trees. The puddles looked like small rivers to us, and the insects flying around were the size of monsters.
"Hey, Madoxx, I've been thinking," Eliza said, looking down. "I wanna help you out in this fight."
The issue was, I'd given Eliza Ola's essence, which meant she had the same characteristics—or magic type—Ola would've manifested if she were still alive. I knew this would bother Eliza.
"It's just that... this power isn't mine," she said, scratching her neck. "I can feel it in my veins."
"You didn't do anything wrong. Ola would've wanted you to use her ability with pride. And in a way, you carry a piece of her now—always and forever. So don't feel bad."
"Yeah, you're right," Eliza said, but I could tell it still bothered her. Ola was her sister, after all. And I'd made the decision to kill her.
The forest vibrated as the giants scrambled around, shouting, "Gone! Gone! Gone!"
"What's wrong with them?" Eliza asked.
"I'm not sure," I answered. "Hephaestus didn't tell us much about them—only that they do this as some sort of ritual or prayer."
We continued walking through the forest.
Looking back, I saw Hephaestus's mountain shake as lava spilled out after every bang from his hammer. It looked like he'd started smithing Melody's arms.
Hephaestus's Mountain~
"So," Melody asked suddenly, "what was Olympus like?"
"I'm unsure," Hephaestus said, smashing his hammer against an anvil. "I was disowned as a toddler, so I have no memories of it." Another blow from his hammer shook the cave.
"I see. That's... sad," Melody said. "But why do you wanna go back so badly?"
"To prove them wrong," he said, gritting his teeth. "To make them accept me. To take back my place among them." His hammer came down again, with even greater force.
"You seem pretty incredible to me," Melody said, jumping up onto his head. "It was their loss, tossing you aside."
Hephaestus laughed. "You're too kind, young one," he said, continuing his work.
Forest of Giants~
Eliza and I stood on a small hill, watching as the giants continued their frenzy.
"Gone!" Kang screamed one last time before falling to his knees.
"How do you want to do thi—"
"Kang!" I screamed, cutting Eliza off. "Fight me!"
"What's wrong with you, Madoxx?!" Eliza yelled, shocked.
Kang looked around and squinted at me, confused.
"What is the little monkey talking about?" he said, scratching his head.
The others stopped screaming and turned to face us, staring blankly.
"You dare disturb my calling?" Kang grumbled.
He raised his hand, and it was as if an invisible force grabbed one of the giants and hurled him in our direction. The giant crashed into the ground near us, dirt flying everywhere, before getting up and charging straight at us.
He ran with terrifying speed, punching the air to accelerate himself forward.
"Get ready, Eliza!" I ordered. "We need to get home as soon as possible."
She nodded, but I could tell she was unsure about fighting.
I took a deep breath and focused, imagining a rock—solid, strong, an impenetrable barrier. Then I cast the spell.
Out of the ground, a rock wall appeared. But it was deformed, partly unorganized, and already starting to crack apart.
The giant simply punched through it, scattering the debris as he continued charging.
"Damn it!" I cursed.
I tried again, but this time, the spell morphed into a sad pile of sand and chunky rock pieces that crumbled away and blew off in the wind.
"What are you doing, Madoxx?" Eliza said, clearly embarrassed by the pathetic display. "Use your tentacles!" she ordered.
"No!" I snapped, ignoring her tentacle slander. "I need to learn to use my abilities properly! I can't afford to rely on just one trick."
"Hmph," I hissed, gathering my focus. "Again!"
But before I realized it, the giant had closed the distance. With a monstrous kick, he sent a shockwave through the air.
Panicking, I cast an ice wall at the last second. The force of his kick shattered it instantly, shards flying everywhere as I was sent hurtling backward. I crashed into a tree, the impact breaking it in half as I slammed to the ground.
"Come on!" I muttered, scrunching my fist. "I promised myself I wouldn't use any other abilities. And as soon as it got serious, I broke that rule. Focus, Madoxx!" I hissed to myself.
Kang continued throwing more and more giants at us, each of them rushing forward with thunderous steps.
"Eliza!" I called, running back toward her.
She stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the giants barreling toward us. Then she looked down at her hands. I could tell she was afraid—not of the giants themselves, but of using her late sister's powers.
I pushed myself forward, blocking out my doubts, and focused harder than ever.
I imagined thick, hard ice—unmoving, cold, and strong. I held that thought in my mind. Then I shifted it, imagining rock—solid, sturdy, and unyielding, formed from compacted grains of sand.
I pushed my spark out.
And just like that, a huge wall of rock appeared, chunks of sharp ice shards embedded in its surface. It was stronger than my previous attempts, but still not good enough. The ice began melting, wetting the stone and turning it into sticky mud.
Kang burst out laughing. "What joke is this?" he roared, wheezing as he fell over on the ground.
The titans began surrounding us, their massive forms looming in the dim light.
"You are funny, monkey," Kang sneered. "You challenge me and come with such weak attacks. You will die here, embarrassingly, and I will present what's left of you as a sacrifice."