SUBTLE WINDS - Voltar, Daughters of Fire

"Should I say it or do you want to say it?" Graden asked with a cold amusement apparent in his white irises. The amusement was more at my discomfort than at the sight before us.

"The males obviously evolve themselves by consuming their females. Which would explain why both sexes have banded against the other. One for protection and the other for evolution." Arane blabbered without care. All eyes turned to her.

"What?. it's obvious enough." she defended raising both palms, mannerisms gotten from the Gemini.

"We have to aid them?" a voice spoke from the crowd. I didn't bother turning to look at the speaker as another voice spoke as well affirming its support of the first's opinion.

"We might be males but this is sickening." Graden nodded with a cold glare in his gaze.

"Maybe or maybe it's just the way they were meant to be." Arane pointed out. The gazes returned to her with mine smoldering hotly.

"What?. Think of it. They're made from the cold Embers of The mother's divinity. I don't claim to be well versed about that but with her showing you what had been and not stopping us from ending them... " she paused as she let us fill in the blanks.

"I concur." another added. Then another and another and finally I pushed my arm up letting my spear show to all behind me. It wasn't even a hard decision at this point.

"Kill the males and guard the females, but be careful. While our assumptions look solid it's best to be careful." With a nod of affirmation from all I faced the fight spreading my wings. The black and red appendages stretched out with a shake. My feet propelled me off the ground with a hard kick and a mighty flap continued the ascent. Behind me rose the hundreds of my kin, red and black wings beating with force as we dove for the active battle ongoing.

We wreathed ourselves in the Fury energy forming lights over our Spears and shields as we descended. Like a rain of red bright stars, we dropped into the battle.

My spear found itself inside a Voltar's head right before it could tear a female apart. Unaware of the communication methods of these entities I simply ignored the staring Voltar not letting their scary eyes affect me as I lurched for another male.

As I carved my way through the fight I saw more reasons why the males were eager to feast upon the female. Physique wise the male Voltar's were supreme, but that was where it ended. While they surpassed the females in might, physique, and ferocity they were nothing when it came to the special perks of their Voltar race. The perk Remnants of the lost translated differently amongst the two genders. For the males, it granted them the skill of Mill of the Trodden. Letting them scatter their body into ash and form a ring or mill that let them pepper their trapped targets with their lifeblood.

But for the females, it was better and different. Unlike the males, their perks translated into the passive skill of Arceis Severance. This was their blood giving them the ability to manipulate any heat, both their molten blood for healing and mending their wounds and also the fires of their lost world.

The catch came when the males realized that this made the females prime ingredients for evolution by devouring their special blood. Which led to a sort of gender war.

Not for equality or supremacy. But simply because one was the exotic prey and the other the hunter. It explained how the first Voltar I slew was able to use his blood to affect his body. He must have consumed a female to evolve already.

I ducked to the side as the molten lava that was the male Voltar's blood splashed out from the huge slash on his chest. The creature barely moved before I was behind him.

"Penance" was a simple skill. One that brought all the grave crimes of an individual before the high judge. A high judge was someone that could not be deceived or avoided. It was a skill that connected us to the Divinas for one simple reason.

A tear in reality above the creature's head appeared. The Voltas froze as a heavy aura grabbed him. Then the white light descended as iron bands circled him and constricted his movements. The bands fluctuated with colors from gold to purple to red and green.

I didn't want to bother waiting to see what the judgment would be but this was the first time I had used the skill. The rift narrowed once the constricting bands stopped with a green color, it shrunk till it was nothing but a tiny dot. From it, light shot out and pierced the Voltar's forehead. For the first and only time light filled its empty eye sockets.

The light dried it up from within, a feat that spoke volumes for a creature that was ash and solidified magma. When the light ended all that was left was a dried husk standing with a frozen scream. It too though shattered into nothing but dust.

'Don't annoy a Divinas eh' I thought. " Noted".

All around me, the fight was still ongoing, more males dropped down and more females banded with the Furians to fight and end the males. Some were hesitant and skeptical but seeing their kin fighting with us pushed them on. Soon I was standing over the last of the males, my spear pinning his skull to the hard ground.

It was finished.

*

Arane led a regal-looking Voltar female to me, her walk and step not covering the wildness in her eyes. Halting just two steps we locked gazes, fighting for supremacy or authority I didn't know but it amused me a bit. Not because I considered myself stronger but because I lived with Divinas. If there was any being who could make one submit with a look it was a Divinas.

The female seemed to realize I was unbothered as she finally spoke with clawed hands clasped together. Words that made no sense but somehow had a sense of meaning or intent within them that helped to translate the content. It was a simple greeting and thanks rolled into one. I made a curt bow of my own as a reply to the greeting. There would certainly be a reason for the Voltar to have stayed behind instead of simply leaving. While I ruled out the fact that it was to simply give appreciation I didn't completely remove it. I was proven correct when the Female spoke.

The conversation was mostly about how and where we came from, what we were, and how we had never been seen before. A part of me wondered if telling the Voltar of my current mission would be helpful. It took me only a minute in which I exchanged glances with Graden and a slight head tilt with Arane. Both while not knowing my intention knew to be ready as I started speaking.

It occurred to me how strange it was that we understood each other through intent and not words. Yet I ignored it as I moved on with my story. The Mother made us from nothing so there was no saying what she was capable of. Understanding creatures she wanted us to understand had to be one of them. I began by speaking of my world or realm, its function, what we were, our purpose, and what the Voltar was. What this place was and our mission here.

By the time I was done, I had garnered myself an audience of Voltar. Even the Furians who were intermixed loosely amongst them listened m with attention. In the end, I looked over the crowd before looking back to the female Voltar. I expected a lot of things and also did not expect some things.

"Then we follow". She declared. Things like that.

"Wait. What?"

"Yes. What?" Arane put her head next to mine right over my shoulder. I pushed the head away not looking away from the Voltar.

"Me is Khel'rin. Me speak for us when me say, we are weakened from the never-ending fight with ourselves. If this place weird wings girl speaks of helps to change things for we, then me say we help. If no change comes then we see if this Mother can change it for us. In exchange, we offer our aid to her. Like you". I was quick in attempting to correct the notion that we were offering our aid but was halted by a sharp prod from Arane. A glance back revealed an amused expression as she subtly shook her head.

" Plus. Weak weird wing people help we. We help weak weird wing people.". Khel'rin ended with a face that said her facts were impossible to beat. I sighed internally before nodding.

"Very well. I don't suppose you can help locate our target." I went about describing what I thought and assumed the location of this world's core would look like from the scenes I received from the mother.

As I spoke I watched as the expression of the Voltar turned from a resting animalistic bitch face to an apprehensive face.

"I'm guessing you have an idea where this is?" Graden asked moving next to me. The Voltar female seemed to suddenly be regretting deciding to help us. With a defeated look and a sigh she spoke.

"What you speak of, different here but same in one way. Far to the south..." she pointed to her left "... there the world ends at a vast hole, at its very center burns the Pillar of green. High to the heavens, hidden by the ash breath out of the great mountain's lifeblood. It is guarded by..." she paused and made a look at her fellows.

"...Iigrazre. The Chimera".