Chapter XXIII: Royal Calvary (Pt. 1)

 Damien lay on the ground, looking up at the ensuing storm in the sky. He was utterly enervated as he sensed Avarice and Tymon hurrying toward him. Still, with so much lightning in the area, he could feel his energy slowly returning, and with Michael's thread gradually healing him, it wouldn't be too long before he'd regain mobility. He asked Alissia to show him what she saw, which helped him better understand the situation from his state. He lay there helplessly as he sensed and watched Alissia heading toward them to intercept Avarice, but she was slowed by the abnormally violent weather over a sizeable chunk of the Pacific Ocean—no doubt from Naomi and Wren's battle. As misfortune would have it, Avarice took this opportunity and released a high-pitched, disorienting attack at her as he flew closer. Alissia clutched her ears instinctively as he touched and turned her into a golden statue that plummeted into the ocean far below them. Alissia! Damien and Tymon yelled telepathically. Tymon most likely had sensed her fall as he chased behind Avarice. I'm fine, she called back. Tymon, keep after him. I'll be right behind you. Damn, he's going to get there before I can make it, Tymon stated in frustration. Sure enough, Avarice reached Damien's location not long after. The constant lightning strikes from the storm overhead had no effect on him as a perfect sound barrier warded them off each time. By then, Damien's wounds were mostly healed, but he couldn't move quite yet, and Tymon was still a few minutes behind. Like an angry god, Avarice levitated inches off the ground toward Damien with a rageful expression. The water that fell upon him from the storm changed into droplets of liquid gold suspended in the air around him. However, when he caught sight of Junichiro's body, he suddenly stopped and floated over to it. Damien watched with remorse and empathy as Avarice fell to his knees and placed his hands on the top half of Junichiro's listless body. A tear fell from Avarice's closed eyes as Junichiro's body was encased in gold. "This shouldn't have happened," Avarice whispered as he rose. "I'd ensured their survival..." "I didn't want to end things this way. He left me—" Junichiro's last words rung in his ears. He could have prevented this easily, yet he hadn't. "I'm sorry..." Avarice turned to look at Damien, the whites of his eyes red with rage as he let out an eerie laugh. "You're sorry, huh? Rest assured, you will die for this," Avarice began as he stepped closer, and gold on the ground crept closer to Damien. "But first, you will tell me how you all have acquired this additional power." Damien knew there was no hope for him to withstand anything Avarice threw at him. Just being that close to so much power weighed on his nerves, yet he held his gaze, refusing to waver. If dying was the way to atone for his selfishness and would cause less anger directed at the others, then he was ready to accept it. "How were you able to outclass my son?!" Avarice yelled as the ground rumbled and visible vibrations and liquid gold became distinct around him. Damien closed his eyes in acceptance, but just before the gold on the ground reached him, a torrent of darkness blasted them both. While Avarice stood firm and remained unaffected, Damien was pushed back until Tymon grabbed him and put distance between them and Avarice. He was struck by lightning in the process, while Damien could only wish he had the strength to redirect it. "Not sure why killing someone like Junichiro is weighing on you this much, but dying won't undo his death, and it won't help anyone. Remember, our lives are linked to the livelihood of the inhabitants of Earth. You let yourself get killed, and many others will follow," Tymon chastised with a hint of anger in his voice. Damien shook his head in regret and cleared his head. He'd been so wrapped up in his own feelings he'd forgotten about that important fact. "I suppose a thank you is in order. If not for you, I was sure I was about to make things significantly worse." Damien breathed gratefully. When he looked at Tymon, he noticed one of his hands was missing and looked at him with concern. "It's not like you had the strength to fight back anyway. And don't thank me yet. I still don't know how we'll be able to escape. The constant lightning makes it more difficult to stabilize the shadows. Even if that weren't the case, the moment he senses me trying to shadow travel, I'm sure he'll pop over to make sure I fail." Tymon looked down to see him eyeing his injury. "Don't worry about it; I'm fine. There're more important things to focus on." Don't worry about Avarice. Focus on getting your shadows ready. I'm sure he'll be more concerned about me. Alissia relayed. Tymon, make sure neither of you get caught up in the attack. Damien and Tymon looked at each other in confusion before Tymon quickly began to prepare a nearby shadow for use. ****