Chapter 410: Zach and Ra'azel

Chapter 410: Zach and Ra'azel

It Ends

The world he crafted fell away, and with it his connection to the plane of the Mind. Zach focused all of his remaining will on Time, opening up his connection fully and letting it flow into his body, enhancing his powers and Soul.

In front of him, time started to flow again.

Anrosh roared, a blast of frigid air expanded in a cone in front of her, hitting the frozen roots surrounding Raazel. The blast shattered them like glass, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, a hail of ice. Raazels armor cracked, his hand flashed and a bright orange orb appeared then detonated.

A blast of heat expanded, boiling the ice to steam in an instant, turning everything around him to ash. Anroshs armor rippled, its protections adapting to the Essence and protecting her, the blast still sent her flying back, her domain and power dispelled. The ground around the yeti turned to glass, and the Air was on fire.

Then it was done, and yeti remained there in the center of the blast. His armor in ruins, falling apart from his body.

Zachs body still felt like it was on fire, but he knew the feeling now. Now was the moment, Zach blinked getting close to Anrosh as the yet turned his eyes on them, glaring.

The two he started, then paused. Zachs heart dropped. That wasnt what was supposed to happen. The yeti tilted his head, then frowned.

The two of you I dont need, he said finally.

Zach relaxed, a small deviation, not a concern. The yeti raised his hand a rune carved into the world. Black lightning lashed out, tinted with red, it struck at Ender and the redheaded man turned to petals, evading the attack.

A Runesmith? The voice from Zachs sword said. A Ra of my people.

Orbs appeared all around the yeti. But Zach had already switched to Wind Song Blade, he unleashed the Shattering Song a split second after. Vibrations ripped through the air, the orbs exploded.

The ground rumbled as Ender caused trees to rip out of the ground and grow all around the yeti, shielding them from the sun. The yeti frowned again, and Zach stepped forward, he focused full on his connection with Time. The Aspect of Time and Sage of Time bolstered him, and he activated his time related skills, knowing that he would need them.

Temporal Fighting, For Every Second, Two.

Anroshs armor rippled to copy the Essence of the lightning, realizing the threat of the attack. Zach dashed forward, and Naha followed slipping into his shadow. He surged across the glassed ground, time trembling around him. He came within ten paces of the yeti and braced, his Time Blade ready for him to use Time Stop and deal with the constructs he was about to summon.

No construct appeared, the yeti stood frozen, his head tilted to the side.

What? It shocked Zach so much that he froze too, standing a few steps away from Raazel, looking at him. This wasnt supposed to happen. A thousand predictions, analysis, the might of an entire Essence plane filling him. He was certain that he had predicted with great accuracy. What was happening?

Instead of fighting, Raazel spoke, breaking with the script again.

What is that? The yeti whispered, almost as if he wasnt addressing him. It is so familiar.

Zach shook himself out of his shock, he had to continue, keep the yeti on track. He dashed forward, Naha attacked with spikes fashioned out of shadows from all around their target. Zach anticipating it continued on, he whirled, swiping with his sword and blade as three shield constructs appeared. Zach already knew their flaws, a strike against each, and they broke apart.

Raazel snapped out of his reverie, and reacted. Nine out of ten times, his armor would blast them with an expanding wave of force. One time in ten he would blink backhis body flashed and he blinked back, putting distance between them. Raazel frowned again, then pulled out a small green orb and put it against his chest.

Zach recognized it, he had used it before, in the future that will never be. Zachs analysis told him that it had something to do with Time. Raazel had figured out what Zach was doing faster than he had projected.

Zach didnt let him the unlikely reaction throw him this time. Nahas image started to deepen the shadows around them, roots rose from the ground and frost spread across them, creating blades of ice on their tips as they stab at Raazel. Objects appear, some exploding, shattering the roots others fire lasers to cut them down. Zach dances through them, avoiding attacks just as constructs appear, as if he knew where and when they would attack.

Zach dashed away from an attack that wouldve blasted a hole in his chest, with a swipe he sent a blade of wind to cut up the construct in the air. All around him was chaos, a hundred constructs were firing at them, and Naha and Ender were doing the most to take them down. Roots and shadowy hands grasped them and crushed them, while Zach and Anrosh took down a couple at most.

This wasnt what he had projected, so he searched for the yeti. He had cast an illusion somehow, something that had fooled them all. He had either retreated or he was still here. Zach didnt know, and that terrified him. He hoped that Raazel had decided to leave, that he had only used a different way to do so, one that Zach hadnt known about.

His skills were barred from him, he could no longer use them for a while. They couldnt continue this fight. Then he felt the space tremble nearby and he turned, seeing a black lightning blossom into being just behind Ender. He tried to blink and something prevented him from getting close, his blink ending before he reached his destination.

NO! Zach reached for his Aspect and used SlowTime, the lightning crawled through the air, faster than Zach could reach even with Time slowed. He ran, but knew that he wouldnt get there in time. It was as thick as his arm, and Zach reached for the power deep within him.

Arcadia

An expanding sphere of light exploded out of him. Stifling the powers of all that opposed him, bolstering his allies. It hit the lightning and it started to shrink, but it still continued on. Zach ran and pushed everything into his Ideal, all his willpower, all that he had left.

The lightning faded, until all that was left was a single prong, the size of Zachs finger. He wasnt fast enough, it touched Enders back and his clothes blasted away, his skin peeled apart before Zach in slow motion. A hole opened up in his chest, then it spread outward, obliterating his shoulder sending his hand flying away into the distance. Zachs Ideal stifled it, stopped the spread of all wounds. And then his ability winked out, time resumed.

Ender fell on the ground and Zach was there. He looked at the man he didnt know, who was a cultivator of nature. He looked up at Zach, his eyes wide and disbelieving. The right side of his chest was gone, as was his arm, the wound was crawling, expanding further, it reached his neck.

The only thing keeping it from spreading was Zachs Ideal, and he felt the weight of trying to hold on.

Zach turned around, saw Naha and Anrosh rushing to him, the constructs released by the yeti long gone.

Naha, to the city, we need a soul potion, a healer, something, he spoke quickly, knowing that time was not on their side. Anrosh turned back into her human form and ran to him, she pulled out a vial from her storage and poured it down his throat. Its a Great Potion of Soul Healing and a Complete Restoration Potion, she said, looking at the man. Why isnt it working? She turned to look at Zach.

He sensed the potions working, felt the Soul strengthen, and falter immediately. It wasnt enough. We need a Healer, he said instead.

We dont have any in the city, his family back north might have someone strong enough, she responded as she turned her head back to Ender.

Ender groaned beneath them. Oh. This is my end, he said, Zach could feel his soul tearing apart. He went through everything that he had, all that he knew. There was nothing that he could do. Kill him? He bowed his head, already he knew that it was too late. The wound to his soul was too great. More than likely it had destroyed that which had anchored his powers. There was no immortality, no nothing.

No, Zach whispered. This wasnt what was supposed to happen.

Ender looked at Anrosh. He motioned with his remaining hand and she got close. He whispered something to her, and she nodded putting a hand on the side of his face. I will, she said.

Ender smiled, then put his palm up, Anrosh helped him keep it steady. He focused and Zach saw his Soul start to tear apart as he activated something. His Soul too damaged to handle it. Zach felt the mans will grow then focus on his hand. A tiny light started to grow, and then as his Soul tore apart, a small seed manifested.

Ender sagged and a deep breath left his lips, his life leaving him. Anrosh took the seed and stored it, then slowly reached up and closed his eyes.

Zach pulled back into his mind. He ran projections, his will shook the world around him as he tried to find a way to change things. This wasnt what was supposed to happen, it wasnt supposed to go like this. He had strength for a reason, to prevent things like this from happening.

He lost himself in the past, he reached to the river and raged against it, trying to pull it back. It continued on, not caring about his desires. This was his fault, his mistake. The yeti had come for him. Others were not supposed to die for it.

No, no, no, no, I am supposed to protect them! I am supposed to be better than

In his head he crafted a world. And then he ran through loops, looking for the moment where he could change things. For the moment where he made a mistake. Losing himself in his mind.