Reality itself had been torn apart, causing its surroundings to twist and change. The tear floated mid-air, above a large patch of beautiful blue flowers that glowed brightly despite the sunlight piercing the forest canopy. Bright lights floated upwards from the flowers, slowly dissipating as they rose. The exotic, yet calming scent of these flowers barely reached his nostrils, overtaken by the stench of the horrific flora surrounding them.
Nature seemed at war with itself. The patch of beautiful flowers was surrounded by plant-like structures made of flesh. Thick stems crawled on the ground, decorated with disgusting flowers coloured black, brown and a dirty red, smelling of rot. Thick, tar-like blood oozed out of the fleshy flowers, seeping into the earth below.
He heard someone gasp, then gag. Lord Aulorn grunted with disgust, while Alistair quickly covered his mouth and nose.
The faint ringing he heard before had grown slightly stronger, its pitch changed occasionally, forming a simple, yet elegant melody. His gaze was drawn to the tear floating mid-air as he forced himself to take a step back. âWhat happens now?â he spoke, trying to ignore the faint melody he could still hear.
Lord Aulornâs expression twisted with disgust. âWe heal the veil.â He stated. âThen we cleanse these abominations. Take formation around this area and get ready.â
With cautious steps, they spread out, each taking one of the cardinal directions. The ground beneath their feet was mushy and wet with tar-like blood. Their boots sank ever so slightly into it. As much as they tried to keep their distance from the fleshy plant-like things surrounding the tear in reality, it wasnât always possible.
He circled around the area to take his place on the other side of the tear in the veil. The stench was nearly unbearable as he walked past the fleshy plants. His stomach churned and a mild headache struck the back of his skull as he finally took his place.
âReady your weapons,â Lord Aulornâs heightened voice sounded. The enforcer walked forward, his sword in hand. With a tight jaw, and sharp eyes, he raised his chin. Brandishing his blade, he raised it, its sharp end looking down, then with a grunt of effort, struck the ground with it.
The myriad gems embedded into the blade of his sword glimmered with power. What started as a faint shine turned into a blinding sun as colourful as a rainbow as the gems filled with power in tandem.
The tear in the veil also glowed, a ring of blue light spread from it, only to shatter as Lord Aulornâs resonance fully formed.
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He melodic ringing he had been hearing until now distorted. What was a calm, almost serene sound became sharper as moments past. His eye twitched as the sound drilled into his ears.
âIn the name of the Empress,â Lord Aulornâs voice sounded, overcoming the sharp ring, and commanding attention. âI offer my blood to protect these lands!â He ran his left palm along the sharp side of his blade, leaving a crimson trail of blood behind. The crystals flashed brighter, and power leapt form his sword to the weapons of the students.
The white gem embedded into the sword-spear glowed brightly. Arwenâs staffâs light followed. Willow raised her rapier high, while Alistair hit the ground with the haft of his spear, the blue gem glowing brightly.
His power drained rapidly as Lord Aulornâs resonance continued to form. The Lord Enforcerâs gaze was locked onto the rift in the air. He watched it like a hawk as it throbbed and began to distort. Odd sounds escaped from it â inhuman screams, whispers in a language that didnât exist, and the sound of rustling leaves and flowing water.
While the tear fluctuated, power from beyond the veil seeped through, almost as if it was trying to resist Lord Aulornâs resonance. The Lord Enforcer scowled, his jaw tightened, and he narrowed his eyes. He poured even more power into the resonance, pushing back the otherworldly force that was trying to stop him.
A sharp pain struck his eye as he felt his consciousness slipping away. âUgh,â he grunted, resisting the pull of the Old One. Not now â he couldnât pass out now. He needed to see this through first. They needed to close this tear and mend the veil. Nothing was more urgent than that.
The pull grew stronger. âNo,â he breathed out, knowing the Old One wouldnât care. Desperate, he tightened his grasp on the haft of the sword-spear. No matter what, he needed to keep this link of Lord Aulornâs resonance going.
The pull he felt suddenly vanished, almost as if the Old One had given up.
Light shone through the tear. It was odd, distorted. It almost looked like a hand, trying to claw its way out from beyond the veil. The sound of wailing echoed in the air as Lord Aulornâs resonance began to force the tear closed.
Lord Aulorn lifted his blade off the ground, holding its tip just a hairâs width away from the tear as he directed more of the spiritual power in the resonance towards it. The Veilâs glow began to fade, the tearâs height now little shorter than a small child. It was closing rapidly, and reality began to heal around it.
The sound of rustling leaves sounded, followed by the breaking of branches, and dry leaves being trampled.
Midhirâs gaze turned from the rift towards the source of the noise, only to see a muddy and panicked familiar young man run out of the shrubbery. His eyes were wide open with fear and panic as he stumbled out from behind the large tree. His bewildered gaze fixed on Lord Aulorn as he rushed towards him, bumping into Willow without even noticing.
âBe careful!â Midhir shouted as the young man practically threw himself against the Lord Enforcerâs back, causing him to stumble forward. The tip of his sword slid forward in the air as Lord Aulorn tried to regain his balance. It cut through the air and touched the tear in the veil.
They couldnât even react before bright blue and silver light burst out of the tear in the veil, sending them all flying.