Summoning

As the Blue Sky soared above Mare, Ryan couldn't help but think it was strangely quiet. Aside from the occasional scuffle down in the streets, the battle had pretty much died down. And after Theo's brother had taken care of the first group of pursuers, no new ones came to take their place.

Ryan darted a suspicious glance at Victor Hua now, who stood at the bow with his sword ready. No way in hell did Ryan trust the guy, but he had to admit Victor hadn't done anything too bad...yet, anyway.

As much as he'd love to, Ryan had more important things to do than keep an eye on Victor. He'd have to trust that the others, like Darian, had that covered. In the meantime, Ryan needed to focus on his familiar.

Fia stood at the railing with their bow aimed, and they weren't alone. The Blue Sky had picked up a number of townspeople along the way, and while some were sheltering below, others had joined Fia on the deck. Every time the soldiers on the ground got a little too close, the archers sent a hail of arrows their way.

They hadn't needed to for a while, though. Even so, Ryan didn't let down his guard. At the slightest sign of danger, he'd be there to cast a strengthening spell on Fia. Fia had insisted he shouldn't waste his Levia like this, but dammit, he wasn't just going to sit back and let them do all the work.

"Look out!" Amaro shouted, giving the wheel a sharp spin. That was all the warning Ryan got before the Blue Sky tilted hard starboard, narrowly avoiding a crackling bolt of black Levia. The ungodly noise as the Levia exploded in the sky rattled Ryan's skull, and he would've fallen flat on his ass if he hadn't managed to snatch one of Blue's tentacles in time.

Though he'd be in way worse shape if it had actually hit its target. Breathing hard, he looked ahead. The great dark hulk of the Infernal Legion skycraft loomed before them, the soldiers crowding at its base tiny as ants. But Ryan didn't miss the bows and arrows they were pointing at the Blue Sky, to say nothing of the cannons tracking their every move.

Ryan's heart pounded harder. Looked like the soldiers had decided to concentrate on guarding their base. Made sense, since it was the most logical target.

Time to bring the fight to Hellebore. If they didn't get blasted clean out of the sky, of course.

Unconsciously, Ryan clenched his teeth and dug his nails into his palms. He didn't even realize he'd gone tense until he felt a gentle stir of Levia across his contract. Startled, he looked back at Fia. Though they weren't facing him, he knew exactly what they were trying to tell him.

Ryan breathed out. Yeah, no use worrying. All he had to do was fight his best with Fia.

Even so, he couldn't stop his heart from skipping when the nearest cannon swiveled toward them. This close, he could tell the damn thing was almost half as long as the entire Blue Sky.

Up ahead, Zenith, Victor, Lodo, and Ryllis tensed. Meg raised Theo's staff, the Star of Miriel glinting in the night. It seemed with its usual wielder out of commission, she'd decided to use it to help her support as many familiars as possible.

Maybe another time, Ryan would've demanded the thing himself. But whatever, he didn't need some fancy trinket anyway.

Just as Meg's scarlet Levia began glowing inside the Star, a sudden surge of power wrenched at Ryan's gut. If he hadn't been gripping the tentacle, he would've crumpled to his knees.

This wasn't Meg's. The cannon, then? No, he didn't see any Levia gathering inside its barrel. And this power, it felt different from the icy darkness he associated with the Infernal Legion. It stung like acid, throbbed a sickening rhythm deep in his bones.

Wait a minute...hadn't he felt this before?

The moment the thought struck him, light erupted from the bow of the enemy skycraft. Neon green like radioactive waste, it cast nauseating highlights over the entire scene.

Then a tremendous boom split apart the air, so loud it struck Ryan like a punch to the head. His hands slipped from the tentacle and he hit the deck on his back, gasping for breath. All he could hear and feel was that horrendous roar, vibrating his bones and muscles like they were made of jelly.

Just when he thought it would tear him apart, the noise finally stopped. But his ears were ringing so badly it took him a few moments to realize, and it didn't help when that awful green light flooded the deck.

Wincing, Ryan climbed to his knees. What he saw almost made him wish he'd stayed down.

The entire bow of the enemy skycraft had been blown clean off, leaving behind a ragged mess of metal like an open wound. Even the medusid sagged above it like a deflated tarp. As fires blazed, soldiers scrambled back and forth or jumped into the water. Others lay ominously still atop exposed struts.

Yet that wasn't even the worst part of the whole scene. As the horrible Levia throbbed harder, his eyes climbed to the sky.

There, the green light blazed like an obscene parody of the sun. Except, wait – there was something inside the light. A tiny but unmistakable silhouette, with horns framing its head like antlers....

"Oh, no." Somehow Fia's voice reached Ryan's ears, though it was almost as quiet as a breath. "No, no."

As the Levia flared, General Hellebore spread his arms.

And something...answered. Something like that awful Levia, but a hundred times deeper. It resounded through Ryan's body like the toll of an unspeakably ancient bell, flooding him with a terror so primal he couldn't twitch a single muscle.

So he could only watch as the seas parted beneath Hellebore and green light spewed from the rift. Within that light, a dark shape was squirming like the shadow of a gigantic snake.

Dimly, Ryan felt pain spike through his heart. Not his own, but Fia's. The sprite dropped their bow with a clatter, sinking to their knees and clutching their chest. Concern bubbled inside him, but he still couldn't move an inch.

The shadow grew larger, climbing closer to the surface. 'No, stop, stay down,' some terrified voice begged inside Ryan, but of course it didn't listen.

Spraying water everywhere, the shadow erupted from the sea and spiraled into the sky. No, not a shadow anymore. A creature that dwarfed even the Infernal Legion skycraft, its serpentine body lined with rippling, translucent fins. Beautiful – or it would have been if every inch hadn't been glowing that sickening green.

The creature rose to meet Hellebore, and he gracefully sank down until he was crouching atop its head. Even from this distance, his maniacal laughter boomed around the island as if amplified by invisible speakers.

"No, no, no," Fia groaned, shuddering all over. "Samakah!"