Deviant Forest
Chapter 1: Fourth Coming
The sun began to set for another countless time, washing the world in light that altered the familiar colors
of the landscape and sky to a brilliant orange. Salix stood at the edge of a short drop off with one foot propped
on top of a rock, as if a captain at the helm of her ship. The whole of nature that endlessly surrounded her
spoke to her in a language that few understood and fewer still that even knew there were words to be heard.
Whenever she needed to relax from the stresses of the day, this was one of her favorite ways.
Yet, there was something ominous this evening. Something far away, dark and elusive nagging at her.
"What is it..?" she whispered. The world around her gave it's approximation of a shrug. How strange for the
ultimate of forces to not know what's going on within itself, Salix thought. She frowned, sitting back onto
the cool grass. She continued to mull over the odd feeling while idly tugging at the edge of the martial arts
uniform top she wore while Syms trained her to fight and control her ki. The uniform was a brilliant green both
top and bottoms with a perfectly replicated picture of her Life Tree screened onto the back of the top.
"Hey, what're you up to? Something wrong?" The voice came suddenly, as if out of nowhere. In the
past, the dryad would've jumped in surprise, but her senses were keener now from her training, she had known
Syms was there before he had greeted her.
"Nothing, I'm fine." She responded distantly, failing to mask her concern.
"Aw, don't give me that. Something's wrong, you advertised it like it's worth millions."
"What?" She turned and looked up at him questioningly.
Syms grinned, "I just meant it's obvious something's bothering you. First and foremost, you skipped
our little dinner get-together with Spark and Zhy. Secondly, you're also not the type to forgo a shower after
training," he held his nose in playful mocking. "Lastly, I know that tone of voice and you're still not good
enough to hide your emotions from me, especially with your ki being so much stronger now."
"Is�is Sparky mad?"
"Nah, they're at the Fort waiting for me to bring you back. But first, you want to tell me what's up?"
Salix sighed, immediately giving in. "I'm not sure, really. Everything feels...out of place. It's hard to
explain." She leaned against his shoulder when he sat down next to her. "Everything out there," she gestured
towards the view before them, "feels like it's hiding something. Not only from me, but oddly even from itself."
Salix continued on for several minutes, trying to convey her feelings to her friend. It was difficult to explain such
things to someone who didn't comprehend at all the ways of nature the way she did.
Syms said, "You're probably feeling things you've never felt before because of your new grasp of your
own life energy. Remember, tree-hugger, 'you've taken your first step into a larger world'."
Salix sat up suddenly, her eyes wide. "There it is!"
"There what is?"
"That's what..." she trailed off as a large dark figure rose up through the stone she had had her foot
propped on earlier. It stood upon the rock resembling a drop of water hanging from a leaf, waiting to fall. It
appeared as a three-dimensional shadow, as dark and menacing as moonless night. It floated down from the
rock, arms appearing from it's sides and crossed over it's chest. It was like looking at a man wearing a long,
dark, hooded cloak.
"What the hell?" Syms stood abruptly, quickly raising his ki, ready for a fight.
The dark figure pointed to Salix, "You, dryad, shall come with me," it's finger drifted towards Syms, "You,
Unnatural, shall be destroyed." It's voice echoed out from within itself potentially masculine, but not impossibly
feminine.
Syms met the creature's glowing white eyes with a challenging look from his own deep blue eyes.
"Unnatural?" he said, stepping forward slightly. "Hey, fuck you buddy! Seems you're the unnatural one here,
you shadowy freak."
The shadow scoffed. It's still leveled arm suddenly stretched out at blinding speed. It's fist connected
with Syms's nose, throwing him back to sprawl on the ground. Salix cried out, began rushing to him, but her
hair got caught up in the grasp of the shadow's retracting arm as it passed by her. "Let me go!" she cried out
when she was close enough to the shadow that it secured her tightly in both arms.
"You must come with me."
"I don't want to! Let go!"
"It is the Fourth Coming, dryad, you will come with me, there is no choice to be made."
"Hey! I'm not dead yet! You have to defeat me before you get anywhere with her, so take your hands
off of her and fight me!" Syms was standing again, the white aura of his power stripping the grass, stones, and
dirt from the ground, hurling the debris away as it steadily increased in volume and began tinting pink.
The shadow scoffed again, "Hardly. She is mine now and since you are so eager, you will be dead
soon." It tossed the kicking dryad to the ground, which opened up and swallowed her from sight.
"Hey!" Syms shouted in protest. "Give her back, now!"
For a third time the shadow scoffed at him, not intimidated in the least. By now, the Saiya-jin's power
aura had deepened to a blood red and the muscles of his body had grown noticeably more defined. "Last
chance..." he said, pointing at the shadow. It shrugged in response. Syms scowled deeply. There was a violent
explosion around him, the world lighting deep red with the swirls of dust and debris tossed in all directions.
When it settled Syms stood before the shadow an almost entirely different person. The bulk of his upper body
had torn away his shirt, revealing a sheen coat of fur as dark a red as his power aura covering all except his
hands and chest. A tail covered in the same fur had pushed it's way through his pants, the hair on his head a
deeper black than seemed possible spiked high at the top, hung low at his back, and two long locks settled on
his shoulders. There was a piercing look of almost complete evil from his now red eyes as they stared forward,
accenting the firm jawbone and stern look of his face. He stood ready, powered up to Super Saiya-jin 4, a
form unique from the previous three. "Give me back Salix or you die."
Another scoff in answer. "You cannot stop the Fourth Coming, Unnatural."
"What the hell are you talking about? And why do you keep calling me that?"
"This world is at it's end, it must be cleansed once again. As you Unnaturals refer to it as Third Earth,
those after you will probably refer to it as Fourth Earth. The faultiness of the First Earth was apparent long ago
when we arrived, so we destroyed it. The corruption never seems to cease, so when we deem it necessary we
cleanse it again."
Syms brows furrowed. "Who are you?"
"We were born of the very ground and sky long ago. We are the Natural we understand nature. All
those who do not are the Unnatural and must be cleansed from our world. You Unnaturals continually corrupt
our sacred world."
"Fine, whatever. Why do you want Salix?"
"She understands the world, she is a Natural. She will come with us and be born again on the Fourth
Earth just as she has been born again the three times previous. Are you prepared to die now or are there more
questions that your feeble mind need not know answers to?"
"...I've been dead before. It's actually quite...liberating. I think I should enlighten you to it's ways."
He grinned triumphantly. "Yeah, that was a good one! I wish Zhy had heard it. Oh, and when I'm done
talking, don't scoff at me!" The shadow didn't, rather it had already launched it's attack, another stretching of
it's arm that whipped Syms's head around. He slowly turned to his gaze back to his opponent with a grin.
"You'll have to do better than that..."
Chapter 2: Someone A Little Different
"Stop it." She didn't hear herself say the words. Who or whatever the words were directed at didn't
heed them, prompting Salix to say it again while she lazily threw her arm up in attempt to bat the offender away.
She groggily turned herself from her stomach to her back, spitting out dirt that had found it's way into her
mouth. She heard scuttling and a light voice, both sounds that kept getting louder only for a short time, before
quieting again. Salix realized her hearing was coming into focus, slowly augmenting to it's usual abilities, then
apparently ceasing once again. Her eyes came into a slow focus as well. When the picture was clear enough,
she saw a small humanoid form running away down a tunnel and realized that not only was it the source of the
noise she heard, but that it's running away was the reason for her hearing less as it got farther and farther, not
because her ears were beginning to fail again. She shook her head to clear the confusion, then slowly stood up.
There was a shallow pain in her back, where she found a slight puncture, most likely from the spear the
creature rushing off was carrying, and probably the reason she had awoken to an annoying stabbing feeling. At
least it was gone, whatever it was. Despite that relief, the tunnel it had retreated down was the only away she
could find to go, so following the creature was the only other option besides staying put.
There were no voices here, no plants, and no animals, only the foreboding feeling of dark ki life. Some
of that ki, was coming back up the tunnel. Salix took a couple of steps back, tendrils of fear squeezing her heart
so tight it had to work furiously to continue beating. No, no, not this time, Salix thought, hardening her resolve.
It was time she fought for herself, she had to get out of here, and she wouldn't let anyone stop her. She stepped
back with her right foot, positioning herself sideways for a defensive stance. Taking several deep breaths, she
calmed her mind and body, and slowly raised the ki power from her soul. It washed snugly over her, a warming
sensation that she loved most about it, as it strengthened her. She closed her eyes, not opening them till the ki's
of those coming down the tunnel felt close enough. She opened her eyes completely confident.
Six of the spear-wielding creature came down the dark dirt-corridor. They all looked the same, puke-
green skinned little creatures with long mucus-covered pointed noses, fat slovenly guts that hung over tattered
loincloth, and crooked yellow teeth spread in a malicious grin foreshadowing horrible intent. If the one that had
annoyed her earlier was among them, Salix couldn't tell. "Goblins�" she whispered.
Goblins are creatures born of in the depths of the earth, influenced by the sins of those above them that
stain the world. There is never a single virtuous thought that ever crosses their minds, never a lawful act they
perform, or any beauty that comes from their existence. While not evil-incarnate themselves, they are often seen
as the merciless servants and pawns of those of greater chaotic power. Acting alone, they have often been the
horror of dryads, dark figures that drag hapless victims into the dark of night, never to be seen again. There
skin is tough as rock, weapons of the dryad's would strike harmlessly, even the explosions of their demolition
acorns.
The goblins grunted amongst themselves. Salix did not know what their words conveyed, but the
gestures and mocking laughter they gave was translation enough. Two began slowly advancing, their sickly
yellow teeth showing through devious grins. The lead goblin of the two held it's spear in it's left hand and
reached for Salix with the other. The dryad, still standing sideways in a fighting stance ensnared the grotesque
creature's oncoming hand with her right hand quicker than any of the goblins realized. She spun on her right
foot, sailing the goblin through the air with her movement till it slammed into the wall that had been at her back.
The other goblins stared in disbelief at Salix as she completed her spin to stand as she had before the attack.
Their comrade made an almost imperceptible gurgling sound as it hung unconscious embedded into the wall.
Salix smiled triumphantly, arrogantly as the other goblins began to back away. "I won't be like my sisters that
you've took in the past. I'm someone a little different."
The goblins all went down quickly, their bodies twisted and broken under the brutal force of Salix's
strikes. One survived, Salix burned it once with low powered energy blast and powered up another on her
hand. "Now you know what it does," she said to the goblin in the language of the forest, "here's another one
unless you tell me who that shadow-guy is and where I am." It told her through rasping breath about the Fourth
Coming and the shadow being a wrathful god of nature. Of her location, it did not say anything useful. Salix
frowned, turning the information over in her mind, as the goblin begged for it's life. It didn't make sense, how
could this be true, yet she had no recollection of these 'cleansings' from before. She sighed deeply, deciding to
leave it alone till she had found a way back to the surface and her friends. The tunnels echoed with the cry of
the goblin as she finished it off. Before she could begin trekking down the tunnel, however, she felt an ominous
presence behind her.
"So, here you are dryad." It was a shadow, almost completely alike to the other that had put her down
in the earth, except it's eyes glowed a fierce green instead of white. "A pity," it said, gesturing towards the
mangled corpses, "They will be more difficult to re-birth after the cleansing now."
"Wh-who are you? What is this whole cleansing thing?" Salix tried to keep her voice even and
confident with little success.
"We are the Lords of Nature. The cleansing is the first step in accomplishing the Fourth Coming. We
will rid the world of all unnaturals and the poison of their sins. Then you and all other naturals will be reborn on
the world in it's rejuvenated holiness."
"Reborn? You�you mean my sisters�"
"Will all be reborn to bring the world the joys of life in it's pure, natural form." Salix gawked at this
revelation. "This pleases you, yes?"
"I�I want them back, but�but you can't kill everyone else."
The shadow chuckled. "They are unnatural, you should feel no pity in their destruction. Come, little
one, there is a comfortable place for you as you await your rebirth." Her mind reeling, Salix willing followed the
shadow down the earthen corridor, unsure and completely sure at the same time.
Chapter 3: Not The Only Unnatural
Syms grabbed the shadow's arm. It quickly began retracting it, trying to throw him off balance,
however the Saiya-jin held on tight. When he was close enough, Syms spun and side-kicked the shadow in the
chest, then quickly grabbed it by the throat. "Give me Salix, now!"
The shadow gave no response and made no movement, however Syms felt himself struck by an invisible
force. It felt like being pushed away by someone projecting their ki, yet he did not sense it, and there was no
push on anything else around him, it only affected him. It first uncurled his fingers so he no longer had a hold of
the shadow, then threw him several yards away. Syms steadied himself while sailing through the air and made
sure he landed on his feet. "I swear, by everything holy and unholy, if you do not give my little sister back to
me, I will make you beg to die!" Syms declared, pointing at the shadow.
"Little sister? By what right does a sinful unnatural have to call a blessed one of nature it's sister?"
"By her authority. You're getting on my nerves, you don't want to drive me over the edge�"
The shadow shook it's head, "I grow weary of you and your empty threats. Your powers mean nothing
to me. Even if they were sufficient enough to overcome me, I will never die anyway. Your resistance is futile."
"Let's find out!" Syms cupped his hands together with fingers pointed out to the sides. A crackling red
beam of energy shot forth and struck the shadow. While the beam pushed the shadow away, Syms leaped into
the air with a yell, breaking up the already tormented ground as his feet left it. He held his right arm with his left
as it shot more long, bloody-red beams that reached the explosion of the first as it detonated against a pile of
boulders. The concussion of energy bubbled out with each successive shot till the sound was deafening and the
brightness blinding. After about thirty blasts, Syms finally ended his attack and waited for the smoke clear. It
floated lazily for a mere moment before great winds pushed it aside, revealing the shadow standing unharmed
amidst the broken landscape. It didn't waste time, moving faster than even Syms could see, and was suddenly
floating before him. It's knee came up to connect with the Saiya-jin warrior's stomach, but was repelled by a
burst of crackling blue sparks of energy, as was the right hook it aimed for his jaw.
"I didn't say I was done," declared Syms. He let his power burst forth, pushing the shadow away, and
quickly released the energy blast he had powered up within himself from cupped hands. The shadow was once
again repelled back to the ground and engulfed in explosion. Syms furthered the onslaught with a raise of his left
hand, focusing his ki on the area, erupting it in a deadly sea of energy. "I guess my power is enough."
"As it stands. I'll just have to increase my own." The voice cut through the smoke and debris, whisking
it to the sky as if it had been summoned thus.
"What?! That was a killing blast, I put almost three quarters of my strength into it!"
"I told you, I will never die." The shadow looked about itself at the glassed earth it occupied. "You see
how you unnaturals destroy without concern? Miles of innocent wildlife desolated without a second thought.
You should humbly bow down and accept your punishment as fate decries it." Syms clenched his teeth and
fists. "Come and meet your destiny."
"No. If I have to die, I'll do so fighting."
"Very well. If you will not humble yourself, then I will do it for you." The shadow was before him
instantly with it's fist dug into Syms' stomach. There was no time to for Syms to even convulse at the blow
before a shower of more attacks struck every vital spot. A final strike sent him careening towards the chaotic
land below. He never hit the ground, the shadow appeared and caught him in the stomach with it's knee, then
took a hold of his hair, whipped him through the air and slammed him face first into the ground. There was a
moment of complete blackness and peace, then a familiar rush of pain, Syms kept repeating It doesn't hurt, it
doesn't hurt trying to reassure himself and wish the pain away. Arms trembling, he lifted himself up and slowly
rocked back till he was sitting.
"That�all you�got?" The shadow flew forward with it's leg outstretched. Syms managed to tilt his
head away from the attack and retaliated with a punch to the stomach. The counter had no effect, the shadow
ignored it completely and threw an uppercut that whipped the Saiya-jin's head back and into the ground. With
it's hand outstretched over it's opponent, the shadow called forth violent winds. It spent several moments that it
found very gratifying smashing Syms into the ground and every large rock it could find. Syms drooled blood
and weakly tried to turn on to his back when he finally lay on the ground. He was disoriented, confused and
trying desperately to figure what was going on. When he looked up the spinning world revealed the shadow
standing over him. It grasped his neck and folded the fingers of it's other hand into a knife fashion, preparing for
a final blow. Syms closed his eyes when the shadow drew back and then launched it's fatal attack. It seemed
like an eternity, yet he knew was only a few seconds that passed, seconds far too long to have passed without
feeling his chest cracked open. Hey slowly opened his eyes and saw the shadow's hand an inch from where his
heart lay, another hand, clothed in gray holding it at the wrist.
"Zhyan�you bastard." Syms choked. The Archangel of Malice tossed the shadow's hand from it's
intended destination then shoved it several yards away with invisible power from a flick of his hand.
"I just saved your life and that's all you have to say?" Zhyan said as he stooped down to help his friend
sit up.
"Well, maybe your timing in impeccable to that second, but you're a little late otherwise."
"I'm never late. I always show up exactly when I mean to. Besides, it wouldn't have been dramatic if
I'd shown up before now."
"I don't need dramatic," Syms scowled.
"No, you need a doctor," Zhyan chuckled lightly at his own joke. "How'd you let this pathetic prick
beat you?"
"He's a lot tougher than he looks."
"Really? The other one wasn't so tough."
"Other one? There's more?" Syms looked up astonished.
"Just the bloody prick I blew to hell back at home. Appeared to Tonati, didn't realize I was in the other
room. Well, he realized eventually." Zhyan grinned.
Syms shook his head saying, "Unbelievable. Wait�there's more?!"
"Yes, I believe we've established that. The only thing about him I envied was the glowing red eyes�"
"If they're coming after Spark, then they're probably going after everyone. I have to get to Pumyra!"
Syms exclaimed and wasted no more words, touching the first two fingers of his right hand to his forehead, he
vanished. Zhyan casually brushed the dust from his legs as he stood up.
"Yes, no problem, I'll take care of this guy," he stated absently. Turning to the shadow, "Well then
ugly, your move, let's get this party started." Zhyan smiled arrogantly and prepared for an easy fight.
Chapter 4: Inferno
Her world spun, each rotation completed with a hammering pain that she swore was her skull shattering.
She couldn't remember having ever been hit so hard in the past and she wasn't at all excited to experience it
now. To make the whole matter worse there was heavy music violently bouncing around in her ears. Some
song she'd liked last night and had enjoyed repeating all day, however as it played onward now it quickly
changed to an annoyance. What had Syms called the band? Drown...yes, that was it and the song's name,
Arms Full of Empty. The previous night came washing back to her, Syms sitting at the computer console
pulling song after song from the magical little interface that retrieved all of the media entertainment from his past
Peachyra had gifted to him before she left this world. She always wondered how the little device worked.
Syms. How she wished he were here now. The world kept changing, it seemed like every new enemy
that came along was in the super-powered class that he and Zhyan were. It seemed appropriately so since
anyone who wasn't like them that tried to cause trouble was absolutely no threat at all in their wake. It did feel
very odd to her that she suddenly had to be so dependant on another's protection. She'd always been so
strong and confident and even so she knew her fellows would be at her side to help, but she'd never had to
completely rely on them for protection. In a lot of ways she rejected the idea that she needed protection,
however it was easier to accept from Syms because he never looked down on her as if she were inferior,
especially since he was now teaching her to be strong like him. He always said he could feel a sleeping potential
in her that just needed time to awakened, a power that he said he knew would immediately place her his equal
or better without the same long struggle he had had to get where he was now. And most importantly, she loved
him.
It didn't quite matter at this moment how strong she'd become, how well she could handle her ki. Right
now, it wasn't enough to face the foe that had caused the blinding pain that throbbed in her head. Pumyra knew
she really needed Syms to protect her now.
The music stopped as Pumyra painfully pushed herself up off the cold metal floor. The strange shadow
creature with glowing red eyes that had accosted her was over at the computer terminal, melting it with an
intense heat she could feel even from the twelve feet of distance that separated them.
"Such a vile sound. You Unnaturals never cease to disgust me with your filth," the shadow said as it
completed it's destruction.
"You should tell that to my love," Pumyra remarked wiping the blood from her lip as she slowly got to
her feet.
"If I'm the one who has the pleasure of it's death, perhaps I will."
"I hope you're up to the task, he's a Super Saiya-jin at the fourth level, almost the fifth."
The shadow seemed to shrug. "The meanings of such elude me, however I have no care for
elaboration. This super-whatever will not save it from death at our hands."
"We'll see. By the way, I'm done stalling." Pumyra smirked and brought her hands up cupped
together. She had been gathering every ounce of her energy and now she released it in an uncontrolled burst of
destructive blue light. Screaming, she pushed it, set her whole being into the attack. She felt powerful, could
feel herself becoming stronger the more she pressed her energy into the assault instead of weakening from the
exertion. Then suddenly the wild wave of her power collapsed in, capsulated into a searing ball of flame. The
feelings of elation she'd been reveling turned to dread as she watched the shadow seal her ki attack into a
fireball. She withdrew her hands and stumbled back when the fire finally came to a close around the source of
her ki.
Pumyra looked around at the undamaged architecture in disbelief. She hadn't accomplished anything,
the shadow had stopped her attack as soon as she'd launched it, and nothing had been damaged at all. Even
with only eyes to describe a face, it seemed to Pumyra that the shadow was grinning arrogantly at her. The
fireball slowly inched towards her, she tried her best to create a barrier of ki between the deadly flame and
herself, but now she was feeling the previously absent fatigue from her attack.
"It's over now." Pumyra could barely hear the shadow, her mind too focused on the screaming pain of
the flame scorching across her body.
"Yes it is over...for you!" The fireball abruptly dissipated and Pumyra fell into a sit, relieved.
"Spark! Spark?" Pumyra rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of what she saw. Behind the shadow,
Tonati knelt on the melted computer console half of her body seemed to be melded into the large view screen
that overlooked the console. She had her dagger buried into the shadow's shoulder where the soft area a flesh
and blood human's collarbone would end at the neck. Tonati twisted the blade and despite the absence of
blood and the sound of steel scraping bone the shadow fell forward in seeming agony, pulling Tonati the rest of
the way from the view screen to the floor with it.
"What...what is this? No mortal can harm me!" the shadow complained in anguish.
"It's an obsidian sacrificial blade," Tonati spat. "It's power even harms dioses!" She had her foot
pushing at the back of the shadow's head, pushing it's face into the floor as she continued twisting the blade
back and forth.
"�Quiz�s, sin embargo los dioses no mueren tan f�cilmente, tonta! [Perhaps, however gods are not so
easily killed fool!]" The shadow pushed up from the floor, throwing Tonati roughly into the computer console.
"Y tomar� m�s que una hoja m�gica para derrotarme. [And it will take more than a magic blade to defeat me.]"
There wasn't much the two women could do, the results of a brief struggle leaving Pumyra unconscious in the
corner and Tonati desperately fighting to keep a protective shield up around herself as the shadow summoned
fire to consume her. She was stuck fighting a losing battle, as time slowly crept by the temperature inside her
protective bubble increased. She was being cooked alive. "Rindete, nunca sobrevivir�s! [Give up, you'll never
survive!]" The shadow mocked with no care for mercy.
Pumyra suddenly awoke from oblivion. With a startled gasp she pulled herself to her feet and began to
charge the shadow when Syms suddenly appeared in front of her. The Super Saiya-jin 4 kicked the side of the
shadows leg, causing the creature to flail helplessly, then snatched it out of the air by it's neck and threw it
through the nearest wall while casually attempting to repeat the Spanish words it had spoken.
"See, I can kick ass and talk gibberish too!" Syms announced before sending a decent sized ki blast out
the hole in the wall after the shadow. Tonati had collapsed in exhaustion; Syms gently helped her to her feet
asking, "So, uh, what did I just tell him?"
"Um, something about to give up if he'll get to survive again, you did not say it well." Tonati smiled as
revelation for his mistake crossed Syms features.
"Eh, I tried," he proclaimed with a shrug. He grinned and held Pumyra's hands when she came up
behind him and wrapped her arms around his stomach. There was an explosion in the distance as the ki blast
met it's target.
"Good timing, a little late, but still good timing," Pumyra said, resting her head on his back.
"Hm, deja vu. Feel like I just got done saying that."
"You fought already, you're all beaten up," Tonati observed. "Is Zhyan fighting now?"
"Yeah, he...shit!" Tonati and Pumyra followed Syms' surprised gaze to the hole in the wall he'd
created. They all tensed for the short moment they had before the ball of fire coming through the hole was upon
them. Their screams of agony were quickly drowned out as the top of the tower exploded.
Chapter 5: Revelation for a Dying Age
"Sit, be comfortable." The shadow with green eyes gestured to the various couches and chairs
arranged about the room. The room was spacious and quite pleasant despite Salix's expectation for it being
underground. The walls and ceiling weren't dirt; rather the ceiling was a spotless bright white, an elegant make
of square after square with intricate little designs set at least 25 feet up from the floor. The walls, painted a dark
red where free of all else, with a fine wood molding at the corners and meeting the ceiling and floor, depicted
carefully painted recreations of various historic scenes, most of them horrible acts of destruction. Bookcases,
statues, and pillars of fine stone lined and filled the room, accented by a great fireplace that was in work despite
the time of year, yet it seemed to give off no heat.
Salix looked around with wide eyes, lost in the magnificence till the shadow spoke again, breaking her
awe. "I would offer you refreshment, however we are beyond the needs of food and drink, and there is nothing
here I can prepare." Salix mostly ignored the dark creature and walked across the soft maroon carpeting with
navy blue designs to stand in front of the fireplace, trying to fathom the lack of heat that should come from it's
crackling fire. "If you wish to experience the touch of flame without harmful repercussion, that fireplace can
grant it. Go ahead, place your hand within, I assure you no damage will come to you."
Salix looked back at the shadow then back to the fire several times. It occurred to her that if the
shadow was wrong she could touch the flame anyway by raising the strength of her ki, however after a few
moments she decided to brave the encounter with no such protection. As the shadow had promised, her hand
did not burn when she inserted into the fire, she did not feel anything. She stood looking on as the fire
consumed her hand yet did not sear her flesh; it was as if the fire was burning an invisible material her hand was
inside. She slowly extracted her hand from the fireplace, the flame threatening to do her appendage harm
whisked out as soon it passed the edge of the fireplace's pit.
"H...how is this possible?" Salix inquired meeting the shadow's glowing eyes.
"I am unsure myself, you will have to ask our Lord of Fire."
"Lord of Fire?" The shadow nodded, coming around from the back of the chair it stood behind to sit
on it's rose patterned cushion.
"Yes, we are all a lord to one aspect of the world. I am Lord of Earth; I control the very dirt and stone
that makes up the ground. He who tasks to exterminate the Unnatural who dares to enslave you is Lord of
Skies."
"Syms does not enslave me!" Salix's eyes burned with offense. "Why are you so eager to kill him?"
"It is not just that one Unnatural, it is all of them. The world must be cleansed."
"I don't understand what..." her words trailed off and her eyes widened in surprise. "Hey! What's
happening to you?"
The shadow now had lips that were smiling. "The magics of this place allow for us to be seen in our
original forms." The ominous dark body that earned the creature it's title as shadow slowly faded away
revealing a handsome man with fine features, pointed ears, long raven black hair tied in a pony tail, and a lean,
frail looking body clothed in regal garments colored purple and red with white ruffles, a small black leather belt
and tall brown leather boots.
"You're an elf! But elves have been extinct for several millennia, since the birth of humans!" The now
revealed elf man chuckled softly.
"No, my brothers and myself continue our race. The rest of our kind has been gone from this world for
a much longer time than you know however. History has been twisted and tainted in more ways than can be
told in such short minutes. Time is relative and is easily confused, much has been chopped to smaller pieces and
fitted together again in shorter stories. It is a mistake to call this world 3rd Earth because of the common belief
in the changing of the dominant races that inhabit it and their grasp of technologies. No, it is much simpler than
that, even with the loss of histories here and there. My brothers and I are responsible for the numbering. We
have cleansed this world three times thus and now is the time for a fourth."
Salix shook her head. "Cleansed. You mean you murder everyone!"
"Murder? Hardly. It is those that we destroy who are the murders. They have no conscious
connection with the world they are ungracious to live upon. They rape it for their own greedy wants without
thought to the harm they cause."
"Humans?"
"Yes, humans. Humans, dwarves, goblins, thunderians, orcs...so many."
"But...humans and dwarves and so many others live now. What does your cleansing do if they are still
alive now?"
"Humans continually return from time to time. They built great machines that took them into the stars;
many escaped the cleansings through these means. Dwarves, we have recently discovered, have escaped by
adapting their bodies and magic to survive the harsh conditions at the center of the world. They have hidden
themselves from us there. It has come to attention at any rate that we are not as thorough as we should, we are
taking precautions this time however."
Salix hugged herself. "You people are monsters. They all have as much right to life as you and the
people you choose. I thought elves were supposed to the kindest, gentlest race."
The elven man stood angrily shouting, "You speak inappropriately! Unnaturals have no right to life.
They have corrupted you; their taint poisons your mind. This cleansing will do your soul good, hold your tongue
now, I will hear no more of your foolish objections. I am needed above to help gather the few other remaining
Naturals. Occupy your time with the history contained in the tomes that fill this room, it will help correct your
thinking so you may accept the gift we shall bestow upon you when the filth of the Unnaturals is wiped clean.
Fare thee well, dryad." The elf stood and the carpet peeled back beneath him. The dirt beneath swallowed him
and once gone everything returned as it had been.
Salix curled up on one of the large couches, sobbing softly. The only sense she could make of
everything was that it felt a hopeless situation. Syms hadn't been able to stand up to the shadowed elves, how
could he when they had the power to destroy all life in the world? She wasn't even sure if Zhyan could
withstand them, at least not all of them together. Where were the gods during these genocides, didn't they
care? There wasn't anything she could do...unless. "The books!" Salix jumped up from the couch and began
browsing the extensive library. Perhaps there was something she could find, something that would help her fight
the misguided elves. Maybe, just maybe she could save her friends.
Chapter 6: Archangel of Destruction
Zhyan Xioni Dekodoria swung his arms back and forth to stretch them. His wings were in full view and
there was a very light aura of power burning off his body. "So what's your deal?" he asked of the shadow that
was soon to be his opponent with his usual confident grin when engaged in a fight.
"My 'deal', Unnatural is that I will destroy you and all of your kind in this, the Fourth Coming," the
shadow answered with contempt. Zhyan stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Are you talking about mass genocide?" Zhyan asked when able to control his laughter at least to the
point of only small snickers. "That's really old and tired, especially to someone like me. Normally I couldn't be
arsed with dealing with a moron like you, but you're of a mind to kill off my wife and my friends and I can't
have that, so if we can be done talking I'd really like to kill you now."
"I will enjoy extinguishing your life, your mockery of this cleansing is inexcusable..." The shadow's
speech was cut short as Zhyan dug his fist into it's gut.
"I said I was done talking!" Zhyan ended his proclamation with a series of blindingly fast punches and
kicks that left the shadow kneeling on the ground. Zhyan imagined their would be blood pouring out of his
opponent's mouth as it crouched holding it's stomach if it were made of flesh. At my mercy.
Zhyan wrapped his fingers around the shadow's throat and lifted the dark creature up. "Is that all? I
would expect more from someone of your genocide-capable power," he grinned arrogantly. The shadow
desperately grabbed at Zhyan's arms as he tightened his grip.
"You underestimate me," it choked out.
"I doubt it." Zhyan kept increasing the pressure until the shadow's body suddenly flew to pieces as if
blown apart by the wind. He withdrew his arm from the man-sized whirlwind that replaced the shadow. The
glow of it's white eyes floated unmoving in the middle of the swirling wind. "Is that supposed to be
intimidating?" Zhyan asked without care or concern.
The wind swirled faster and grew, the shape of what was obviously the shadow transformed swept up
into the growing tornado. Zhyan stood firmly with his arms crossed over his chest, his hair pulling violently this
way and that creating a wild mess of lilac streaks. The clouds overhead darkened and released a horrendous
mess of rain and hail as blue-white lightning snaked through them. The earth shook with the off rhythm crash of
thunder as the tempest tore the environment apart. Zhyan covered a hand over a fake yawn then stretched out
a false boredom.
"Whoa is me," he said dryly, his voice a sharp broken glass mockery. He looked up casually after
several torrents of lightning ran a course from sky to ground through his body. The weather worsened moment
by moment, still Zhyan stood without care.
The storm eventually began to weaken Zhyan knew the shadow was tiring and probably falling into
despair. He clenched his fists, elbows bent and tightened his entire body, arching his back. An explosion of
energy burst forth from him, it flowed like water on a slanted on surface through the storm, making water drops
and hail splash apart. Lightning was overcome as Zhyan's energy evaporated the clouds and his energy acted
as dust caught in the wind before stopping it completely.
When all else was gone there was only a small twist of wind that engulfed in Zhyan's attack, flickering
violently like a fluorescent light at it's last moments of use. It flashed brightly one last time and the small twister
had reformed the shadow. It fell lifelessly to the ground, landing with wet plop into the muddy, torn ground.
Zhyan lazily floated over, unwilling to let his boots touch the mud, the area he had been standing untouched by
the storm.
"That wasn't very impressive. Hey, are you dead?" Zhyan prodded the shadow's head with the toe of
his boot. "How can you expect to destroy the world when you're so fragile?" He remained pushing on his
beaten opponents head, pretending not to notice the new life force he felt suddenly appear behind him.
Whoever it was had a malevolent presence, an evil intent. He spun around suddenly, greeting the newcomer
with his fist.
He frowned to see his strike only connected with a glowing bubble instead of the person's face.
"Well...that's interesting," he commented, observing the man in front of him. He stood about seven feet, his
unclothed upper body well muscled. On the lower half of his body he wore baggy white pants of light cotton
material accented by blood red cloth tied at his waste like a belt, one of it's edges draped behind him to point at
the ground between his legs. The boots on his feet were a rough golden color reaching up to the middle of his
shin with the leggings of his pants tucked inside. He wore his hair long to the small of his back and parted in the
middle atop his head, long pointed locks framing the sides of his face. The look on his face was of a pained
rage, as if he'd been screaming obscenities while in agony till suddenly frozen as he was now. The clear green
sphere around him was slowly fading.
Zhyan whistled. "Well, you look like you were pissed off when you got frozen in there. Sorry, I ain't
really got time for you, I have to..." he stopped abruptly, his eyes widening. "Tonati!" he screamed as he felt
her life force flare then suddenly disappear. He took to the air in a burst of energy, creating a crater in the mud.
The shadow was dead and whomever the man inside the energy bubble would have to wait, his wife was in
danger.
Chapter 7: Sharing the Pain
Sand was flung when Syms sat up with a start, gasping in fright as if awakening from a nightmare. It
may have well been a nightmare that awoke him. The images from moments ago stabbed inside his head, the
large sphere of fire, the shadow leering at them, and Pumyra and Spark disintegrating in a flash as the tower
exploded. He could feel the bumps, bruises, and scrapes from the careless, unconscious landing he'd suffered
after being launched from the tower and his scorched skin screamed pain.
The physical pain meant nothing to Syms at that moment; it may have well not been there. He closed his
hands into fists, digging up the sand, trembling all over. The shadow landed in front of him a few feet away
causing Syms eyes to well with tears as he looked at the cause for the trauma that played like a bad movie
behind his eyes.
The shadow tilted it's head to one side as if curious. "I will end your pain, send you to the Unnaturals
who did not survive. Come then, make it easy on yourself."
"You...killed them..." Syms' body twitched, his face contorted with rage. An ominous sound rumbled
the area as if the world were growling. A small uplift of wind swirled the sand around Syms, blowing his hair
and clothing to and fro. "Pumyra..." he whispered as memory after memory faded in and out of his vision,
clouding out the world around him. The sound and wind increased as if boiling, a black aura of power
surrounding Syms. The effects quit for a barely noticeable second then detonated with Syms cry of emotional
anguish.
The shadow covered it's face with it's arms as the strange explosion of black energy from Syms waved
over it. When it dissipated, the dark creature had disappeared, revealing an elf man. He looked himself over
astonished, and then met eyes with Syms who was finally standing.
"You're just a man," he remarked to the elf that replaced his former opponent, though his disguise was
slowly returning, shrouding him once again in darkness.
"I am of elven kind! Tell me, exactly what manner of creature are you?"
"I'm only human, but I'm trained a Saiya-jin. This here," he slowly waved his hands across himself,
"this is me finally as a Super Saiya-jin 5." Indeed, he'd changed. The Super Saiya-jin 4 fur on his body had
turned an impossibly dark black, along with his eyes and hair that had also straightened more, much the same as
Super Saiya-jin 2, accompanied with the long locks from his previous form. His tail had grown longer and his
aura of power burned black as ash floating in the wind. He was also miraculously cured of all wounds.
"Saiya-jin," the shadow paused in thought, "Yes, the thunderian woman had said the same. I remember
now countless centuries ago when you filthy humans were endowed with such power. You nearly destroyed all
other races when the world was young and claimed the lands your own. Then you nearly destroyed yourselves.
A time later you resurrected these ways even though you still hadn't learned to not destroy and the power once
again nearly brought about your extinction. And still, such great power forgotten again, you did not learn to
appreciate the world. Your machines ravaged the world and you decided to leave into the stars. A pity so
many of you were sparred, as our power had grown efficient and soon after that the First Coming was initiated.
We wiped out what remained of you along with all other Unnatural races that still lived and the rest of your kind
in the stars was exiled, never to return. Without intelligence as usual your kind ignored the exile and returned
and were wiped out in the Second Coming."
"Thanks for the history lesson, it fuels my hatred for you. You think you're so righteous, you're only
prejudice murderers." Syms scowled when the shadow laughed.
"Prejudice? A human has no right to such an accusation! Your kind murdered all other races when you
became Saiya-jins."
"Maybe so, but that's in the past, from people that are not me. Hold your grudge against them, not me!
I've never proclaimed genocide, nor will I ever. For god sakes most of my friends are a different race than I am
and the woman I love, who you just killed, was a thunderian!" rage flared in Syms' voice and power aura.
"You still senselessly destroy."
"Me?! So some things get ruined when I train and when we build places to live. And we kill animals
and plants to eat. You don't? It's called surviving!"
"Enough of this!"
"I agree!" With a blast of black colored fury, Syms launched towards the shadow, leaving huge clouds
of sand billowing in his wake.
The shadow lurched forward, meeting Syms part way, and used it's forearm to block the haymaker
punch that swung in heavily at it's head. It countered with it's other arm, punching straight in at Syms' face, but
it was redirected with a light push from the other's palm. The attacks escalated, a few hitting target but were
ignored and countered.
The sand beneath their feet stirred violently as they glided smoothly across the ground, Syms gaining
ground with each subsequent attack and defend. Then the shadow made a mistake, flailed wildly with it's arm
and Syms parried the move with inside-defense redirect with his close hand, then swung his other arm under and
grabbed his opponent's blocked limb, yanking the shadow forward. Continuing without hesitance, Syms
slammed his fist into the shadow's kidney with an inverted punch, released his grip on it's arm and crushed the
side of the shadow's face with that fist.
The shadow spun once with the force of the impact, quickly recovered, and slid forward with a sidekick
that caught Syms off guard, impacting into his ribs with a loud boom that shook the immediate area.
Syms cried out as he was propelled back, then again as the shadow bounded forward, spun in the air
and kicked him again in the chin, causing his flight backwards to increase. The elf inside the shadow grinned
triumphantly, raised his hand and created an explosion of fire that pushed Syms more, tripling his propulsion.
Syms slammed into a small mountain that didn't halt his flight till he emerged out the other side. He'd
barely touched the ground before accelerating himself back to the shadow, barreling through the mountain as if it
weren't even there, reducing it to pebbles and dust that floated about like thrown confetti in the aura of black
energy that burned off of Syms.
"I'll show you shadows what genocide is!" Syms drove his knee up into the shadow's stomach when
the distance was closed. He then flipped around behind it as it hunched over with the force of the impact,
slamming the palm of his opposite hand into the back of it's head. Not letting it hit the ground; Syms slip-
stepped over and kicked the shadow into the air. He followed after, meeting the shadow to exchange another
barrage of attacks as it recovered to face him. The fury of their fight sparkled the sky with flashes shamed in
brightness only by the sun.
Zhyan hovered above the rubble that was once the Tower of Omens. He glanced from it to the fight
going on a few yards away, he's face twitching in disgust. Although he could see Syms was holding his own
against the shadow, Zhyan burned with a desire to cut in and bury the shadow. It was obvious to him that
whatever destroyed the tower was also what caused the anguish and disappearance of Tonati, and he knew it
wasn't Syms' power that had caused the explosion, he'd felt the human's ki flare up in pain at the same time as
his wife's had.
Before he could fly over to join the fight, Zhyan felt a familiar presence behind him. He spun swiftly,
back handing the shadow across the face.
"Didn't I just kill you?!" he shouted and grabbed the creature by the neck with both hands.
"I will never die...our bodies are restored soon after death," the shadow choked back, squeezing
desperately on Zhyan's arms.
"Then I'll just have to break you so you can't do anything and keep you alive locked in my dungeon!"
Zhyan increased the pressure of his grip without mercy and not distracted by the ground below him that
crumbled down in the shape of a circle. He glanced down and watched the earth spit out another shadow that
stopped at level them.
"Unhand him, swine!" it demanded.
"Of course," Zhyan agreed, releasing his victim by throwing it into the newcomer, "Don't forget your
going-away present!" There was nothing either shadow could do to defend against the wave of energy he fired
at them. They were caught up in the blast, pushed several yards away at an arc that ended in the ground with a
large explosion.
Syms and the Lord of Fire shadow stopped their brawl to find the source of the explosion that pierced
their ears. Syms immediately felt Zhyan's presence as his attention shifted from the fight momentarily. He
grinned knowing Zhy was the source of the explosion and took the free moment his opponent gave him,
scooting in quick and smashing the shadow's face with a round kick.
The shadow didn't get far before Zhyan appeared in it's path and batted it down to the sands below.
The Archangel and the human Saiya-jin were on the ground standing above the fire-shadow before the dust had
settled.
"Were there more shadows here?" Syms asked.
"Don't worry about them, I left them with a present that'll explode when one of them touches it." As if
in response to his explanation, an explosion sounded not far away. Zhyan grabbed the fire-shadow's head and
lifted it's face from the ground. "I thought I killed you too, I hate immortals. And you're going to hate being
immortal when I'm done with you. You're really going to regret killing my wife!" he growled and slammed the
shadow's face back into the ground.
Syms winced at the mention of Tonati's death. "Zhy, they're just elves. Enough energy will push away
the shadow part."
Zhyan looked at Syms, then back down at the shadow. He extended his palm out and engulfed the
shadow in his power. When the smoke cleared, the elf was revealed again, with obvious injury.
"He bleeds just like everyone else," Zhyan commented scowling. He began to reach down when his
head suddenly whipped back and he slammed back into the ground. Syms moved to retaliate against the
shadow that had suddenly appeared and attacked, but the other appeared behind him and cracked the back of
his skull, sending him a few yards away.
"Lord Fire, get up!" the Lord of Wind shadow beckoned to it's fallen comrade. There was no time to
help however, as Syms and Zhyan quickly recovered and each engaged a shadow. The desert around the
broken Tower of Omens erupted in chaos of airborne sand, bright ki energy, booming explosions, and yells of
anger.
Tonati placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head, trying to clear the nausea spinning her world.
"Kala," she began, shook her head one last time, then continued, looking up at the tall man that stood over her,
"you know my tummy does not like teleporting."
"I had no choice, little one. I couldn't just allow you to be engulfed in the flames," Kalanag said, placing
his hands on his hips.
"You just wanted to play the hero," she chided him while rummaging through the vast space of her
purse. She smiled when she found the bottle of burn solvent she wanted, scooted over to the unconscious
Pumyra and began working the medication into the Thundercat's burned skin. "But...where is Syms?" she
asked looking around.
"The human? It is a strange matter. I could not touch him. Something he did to his body did not allow
me to; fortunately it also seemed to save him from death. He is still there now, fighting again. Your Zhyan is
there as well."
"Zhy is there?! He must have beaten the other shadow!"
"I do not think so, little one. These opponents are very strong, the fire of their soul seems
inextinguishable. You must take great care if you are to defeat them, I cannot continually come to your rescue."
"I know," Tonati nodded. "Oh, Kala! Can you see Salix anywhere?" Kalanag stopped for a moment
as if in thought.
"Yes, she is underground quite far from the desert."
"I must go to her, Kala! Can you teleport me there?"
"If you wish it, little one."
Tonati sighed. "It will not make me feel good, but I have to be with her. Please, Kala, will you teleport
me there and watch over Pumyra?" Tonati looked up at Kalanag, towering over her.
Kalanag sighed. "I will do this for you." Tonati smiled triumphantly. Reaching into her purse, she
retrieved a pillow and rested Pumyra's head onto it.
"Ok, am ready!" Kalanag nodded and in a flash Tonati disappeared. She fell against the nearest wall
she found in her new surroundings. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled when she was greeted with excited
shouts of her name.
"Sparky! Sparky! How did you get here? Are you all right?" Salix prodded, tugging on Tonati's tunic.
"Am fine, Salix, just some dizziness. Where are we?"
"Um, I don't know. I was kidnapped by this shadow creature and brought here. Sparky, they're
planning to kill everyone in the world!"
"I know, they've given me and Zhy troubles already. Him and Syms are fighting them right now. Why
did they kidnap you?" Salix took a few minutes to explain what had happened. She showed Tonati the pile of
books she'd read, picking up the one she'd been reading, discarded carelessly on the floor in her excitement.
"I thought it might tell a way to stop them in one of these, but there's so many, and all the one's I've
looked through already are just history books. Except this one," she said holding up her current endeavor, "it's
starting to tell all about what they do."
"Good, let's see if we can find something." Tonati sat down with Salix and they began skimming
through the great tome, hoping desperately for any hint as to a way to stop the shadow's genocide.
Chapter 8: Army for Genocide
The Lord of Fire growled anger. The Unnaturals would make no fool of him, it was their destiny to be
destroyed, and he'd make sure they met it. He crossed his arms in front of himself then threw them back down
to his sides yelling, an explosion of energy tore through the sand around him, and the darkness around him
dissipated to reveal his true elven form.
Syms and Zhyan both stepped away from the broken bodies of their opponents, the Lord of Wind and
the Lord of Earth respectively, casually floated over to the Lord of Fire, surrounded by energy without the cloak
of shadow around him.
"He's stronger, Zhyan. I took out that other guy easily just now, but this guy held his own against me
before," Syms warned.
"I am stronger, much stronger than the others. My element, fire, is nothing compared to the other
elements. Fire can be snuffed out with any other element, I am the weakest thus, however I would not conform
to this. I have trained hardest in the ways of hand-to-hand battle and even with the weakest element at my
command; I am yet the strongest fighter. Observe." The Lord of Fire chanted for a moment, strange wisps of
magical energy whipped about, then suddenly his entire body doubled in size. Syms gasped astonished, Zhyan
merely scoffed. "Now the two of you will finally be exterminated," he sneered, staring death at them with his
newly yellow eyes that glowed as a nightmarish creature of the night hidden in the wilderness.
"We'll see," Syms said with contempt. The Lord of Fire drew his right hand back then fired two energy
blasts, one aimed at each of his opponents. Syms crossed his arms in front of his face to shield and was blown
back. Zhyan caught the energy directed at him and tossed it aside. He wasted no time, phasing away and
reappearing in front of the Lord of Fire, attacking furiously.
Each attack was well placed and strong, however a near uncountable flurry passed before Zhyan was
not blocked or dodged. His right fist came up in an uppercut that struck square in the middle of the Lord of
Fire's chin, however it did not take affect, Zhyan's fist bouncing off as if he'd struck rubber causing him to
elbow himself in the stomach.
"What?" Zhyan cried out in disbelief, hopping back to create some distance.
"Zhyan, stand back!" Syms warned, swooping in from behind the Archangel towards the monstrosity of
an elf.
"No, wait!" he tried to warn, but it was too late, Syms was already on the attack. The Lord of Fire
didn't budge as Syms struck him, fired the blast he had straight into his face, spun around to kick in the face,
then backed off and launched an immense wave of energy.
When the light and dust from the attack wave faded, the Lord of Fire stood unscathed. Disbelief
washed over Syms' face.
"What a worthless gesture that was," the Lord of Fire commented, stepping up and grabbing Syms up
by his long, spiked hair. He swung him into Zhyan as he launched forward to help, knocking him away, then
tossed Syms up a bit and slammed an uppercut into his chin with such power that the immediate few yards of
sand turned to glass that immediately shattered and the next few yards of sand was blown away in clouds.
"Have you returned?" he inquired arrogantly, turning around.
Zhyan stood defiantly behind him. "I'll show you true power." He stretched his arms out as if to catch
something large, the sand beneath him fusing into glass, white-hot energy that looked as smoke streamed from
his body as if he were lit afire. He clenched his fists and tightened his body, which seemed to burn away from
combustion within, leaving a raging inferno in the shape of a man with wings. It was still Zhyan, a pyre of fire in
his shape, with glowing orange eyes that pierced the soul worse than the Lord of Fire's yellow eyes. "I'll teach
you all about power."
The Lord of Fire smiled, not intimidated. "My magics are far more powerful than the ways of a Saiya-
jin."
"Saiya-jin? Who said I'm a Saiya-jin? I'm the Archangel of Destruction; my power is purely divine
and far more than a match for any mortal's magic. Are you prepared to be brought to your knees like a bitch?"
The Lord of Fire shot forward shouting a cry of war. His arm came around in a loop to plow down Zhyan,
however it stopped some inches away, repelled by the pure energy of Zhyan's body. Confused, but
determined, he tried again and again with the same results each time.
"Problems? I told you, you have no idea what true power is," Zhyan remarked coldly. The Lord of
Fire was helpless in the wake of the energy blast Zhyan shot into his stomach. He slid across the sand
screaming pain. He clutched at the hole through his oversized torso when he came to a stop, shakily sitting up
to face his opponent.
"My Lord of Water!" he cried out surprised and relieved. Zhyan turned to see yet another shadow
shrouded elf and an army of smaller, less profound looking shadows standing eager for battle behind.
"Now what the hell is this?" Zhyan asked stepping forward after outstretching his arm behind himself
and firing a blast that vaporized the Lord of Fire.
"Impudent dog! Your power is great, however you will never defeat us, we are not just immortal, but
eternal, there is nothing you can do. You see," the Lord of Water said and gestured behind Zhyan where the
Archangel found the completely recovered Lords of Wind and Earth stood.
"He brings our army, winged-one, they will help us tear you to pieces," the Lord of Wind informed with
a chuckle. All at once, the elemental lords and their army moved in for attack, Zhyan crossed his arms in front
of his chest and then spread them at his sides in one smooth motion, causing the ground to shake.
"You're all fucked!" he yelled, the malice of his voice booming loud as the explosion of energy he
released. Everything was engulfed in bright light, the entire earth shook as if the core were cracked, the calls of
agony drowned by the deafening sound.
When it all settled Zhyan stood in the center of glass wasteland, burned bodies of goblins and trolls
spread across, some dead, others crying for such a release. Those uninjured stood dumbfounded, the shadow
around their bodies dissipated. Of the elves only the Lord of Water remained, his shadow gone as well.
Zhyan did not waste time. He began blasting every creature in sight, however no matter how many he
destroyed there were always more. The elves would return after death and would summon more of their army
or attack him in endless cycle. Even Zhyan's power has beginning to wear down. He was considering
transforming again to his next form, however such an action always came with dire consequences and what
good would it do if the elves would just resurrect?
Zhyan growled frustration, he leveled his hand for another attack, unsure how many times he'd thrown
energy, then stopped in shock. Below surrounded by a portion of the army Tonati sat with her head in her
hands as if nauseated and Salix was leaning against her with a large tome in her small arms. Each elf flew down
to them and began closing in with their army.
"No!" Zhyan cried out, fearing the inevitable.
"Stop!" Salix held out a hand to emphasize her command. "This is all done, you're not going to destroy
the world." The elves looked at each other than back to the little dryad and laughed.
"What do you think you can do about it, dryad? I told you the Fourth Coming is inevitable, why do you
fail to realize this? I grow tired of you, you will die with the Unnaturals," the Lord of Earth said, his voice full of
disgust.
"No, this is all over, by my word," Salix told them. "As a Natural I have the right to say this is all over
with and I do, I revoke your powers and take away your immortality. Go away!"
"What? What is..?" Every elf stumbled over their words in disbelief as they felt their power drained
away from them. Their bodies became transparent and were quickly fading away. Salix opened the tome to a
book-marked page and held it up.
"It says it right here! Any Natural who wishes the cleansings to stop need only say so and it will stop. I
can also make you guys die too!"
"ci, she is right, that's what the book says!" Tonati offered, her nausea from teleportation resided.
"This...this is impossible! Which of you decreed this so?!" the Lord of Fire pointed at the other elves
accusingly. They began bickering amongst each other as they faded into oblivion. Zhyan powered up, tossed a
large ball of energy into the air that split into many smaller globes. His attack burned away the now powerless
followers of the elemental lords as they were all struck by a portion till all that remained was a smoldering
battlefield occupied only by Salix and Tonati.
Chapter 9: Zhyan's Bad News
A few hours later they had found Syms some miles away with a broken jaw and met up with Kalanag
so he could be reunited with Pumyra. Zhyan destroyed the underground lair where Salix had been kept
prisoner after priceless books of history had been moved to the old FF base.
The group of friends sat around their old home receiving Tonati's magic healing and Syms' ki healing
provided by borrowed energy from Zhyan. When everyone was healthy again they threw a celebration that
didn't last long before they all collapsed from exhaustion.
The next morning they enjoyed breakfast together still zealous with their victory. They chided Salix on
her position of authority over the whole matter, contemplated if they should start calling the planet 4th Earth still
since the cleansing still happened just not for the group expected, and swapped their stories of battle. Zhyan
suddenly stopped with an obvious click of memory.
"Oh, I almost forgot about the big guy in the bubble."
"'The big guy in the bubble'?" everyone else questioned with chuckles.
"What are you talking about, love?" Tonati asked, twirling his lilac hair in her fingers.
"After I tore up that one guy with the wind tricks, I found an energy bubble with this guy inside."
"Uh, ok. Maybe we should go check on this," Syms said already getting up from his seat. Zhyan led
the way for Syms and Salix, Tonati and Pumyra deciding to stay behind. It didn't them long to arrive.
"Well, here he is," Zhyan announced.
"Looks scary," Salix commented.
"Yeah, I thought he looked rather pissy myself. What do you think?" Zhyan turned to look at Syms.
"Whoa, what's with you?" Syms was backing up in terror, shuddering violently and mumbling.
"Syms?" Salix asked, going over and tugging on his pant leg.
"He...he's the...Legendary Super Saiya-jin..." the young man stammered.
"What?" Zhyan looked back at the man in the energy sphere. "What's that mean?"
"We're...we're all going to die..."
To Be Continued...