Chapter 87: The Leader, Part 2

The crater left would have dust coating the scene, not showing Stolas any other sign than one of pure damage. Everything before his eyes was just pure nothing, except for the whistling. It tensed up the boy as he'd recall this song before, reminding him of the monster his father fought and killed. When the dust has cleared and the figure was apparent, there the man stood. Once again, barely a scratch or a burn upon his body, except instead, the very skeleton has took care of the damages, now charred into a hefty black, with the skeleton being somewhat broken because of this fragile nature. Stolas was left shocked at how such a man handled the might of such stars point-blank without barely a mark upon him. His whistling still rang true, but something was different. It didn't repeated itself in a standard pattern, but instead, it was almost like a song. A Lullaby. It felt soothing the more he heard this tune, his body reacting softly, slowly calming the Stellar Magician, removing such shock and fear which weighed heavily upon him. As the man whistled, he'd climb his way out, having the minerals within the sand as a makeshift ladder, scaling up from the hole made, with his sounds being more apparent, catching the attention of the grunts nearby.

A Lullaby, one fit for a newborn baby to sleep to. A calming serenade with just his gentle voice. When he stopped, he'd have the sand around Stolas' talons poke him, making him snap out of the melody. The boy would hate to admit it, but it almost wormed its way into his head. It would've made him in a cordial state without recognizing the main threat at large. "What.....was that?" Stolas would ask, awestruck that such a tune hit so hard, despite it being a mere whistle.

"My Father's Song.....Every night, whenever I have trouble sleeping, He plays it. It helps me go to sleep.....makes me feel like I'm resting within the clouds in the sky. Every day, whenever I hear it, I know he's there...watching me....keeping me safe. I eventually learned how to play such a song myself. It was a nice song to sleep to...." Meso would answer, his voice still gentle, yet gruff. Stolas couldn't help but recall such a song played before, yet not in such a way like anything he's heard.

"What was your father like...?" He would ask.

Meso merely gave a small smile as he'd recount such memories. "Silent.....Fuzzy....like an animal. Some people find him scary.....I found him soothing. I couldn't explain why....Just felt it." When he gave such a description, it made Stolas run cold with his words, starting to understand what was going on. He'd try to shake off such a thought, focusing on the task at hand. He'd get himself within a stance, despite his confusions. Meso noticed such a shift in expressions, yet never lost his smile. He stayed calm and spoke once more. "Do not worry...I am not angry.....I'm just doing my job. We all have to do that....I simply hope you are doing your job well. You intrigue me, young man.....What is your name?" He would ask, to which Stolas remained silent, the thought lingering in his head. Despite this, he'd answer accordingly.

"Stolas. The Greatest Man you will ever know. Be sure to remember that..."

Meso gave a small chuckle as he got into his own combative stance. "Greatest Man...I like that title." Without any further words, Stolas would lunge forward, a cluster of stars made upon his very hand, allowing it to bubble up and create a shape to battle alongside with him. Meso reacted by having his arms move to swat the child like a fly, spiking him down to the hole, having the dust and debris of what remained from the bones scatter into the wind, sprinkled all across the area. What he didn't expect was the shape that Stolas chose when using the spell, the shape of water, flowing freely, coating the Stellar Child under it in the same effect as the layer he once had.

Aquarius.

The Constellation of the very god of Water's cup, and his assumptions would be right when seeing the supposed "cup" pouring out from a specific spot, like an open faucet. The boy still retained his gun-like star creation, as Meso recognized what it was, right when Stolas fired his shots to the man's chest and face.

Sagittarius.

The Constellation of the Centaur that teaches Heroes of legend. Finely tuned into a proper weapon in the form of a Gun, it landed its shots through the veil, thinking that it struck Meso straight through his lungs and heart. Stolas, however, was greatly misled when he saw the dust and debris protecting him, acting almost as a shield to block against the shots made, the dust catching the bullet and preparing to fire it in a different direction. Aiming well, it fired its shot across the debris, allowing the dust to maneuver the bullet across, controlling the air's currents to shift its travel, targeting towards Stolas' head. The boy recognized the aim and had the layer act its defense, but it was proven fruitless, as the layer was somehow penetrated and opened itself to ensure the bullet meets its target. Without any other option, the boy would raise his arms to block his head, forcing him to take damage at his left arm, blood spewing forth as he'd see the dust and debris from the charred bones seeping into his very stars.

"This guy....it's like he knows what to do, how to do it, and in what way he can pull it off. He's like a Monster!" Stolas would think to himself. He would try to figure out exactly how to beat such a hulking figure, hearing the whistling tune once more from Meso. Low, Medium, High. It was almost like fighting an animal with no rhyme or reason, only that it acts on its own and fights without weakness.

The boy realized if he wished to land a hit again, he too must be free from such weaknesses. He too, must be just as much an animal as Meso was. He too, must be just as much a Monster as the Sand Reaper is.