Chương 41: Episode 38: Chaotic Minds of Chaos

We stayed crouched behind the window for what felt like forever—waiting, not breathing, making sure they didn't see us. It really dragged. The sky stayed dark and dim, thunder rumbling, lightning ripping through the clouds like wild veins of light. Wind howled sharp enough to cut. Shadows drifted through the air, swirling like ghosts. Behind us, we could hear the Lunaranite soldiers chanting: "All hail King Dreadixz." And that's when I started hearing things. Memories.

Echoes from the people around me, voices in my head. I tried to block it out, focus. The windows were shattered wide open. The whole building was buried under heaps of leaves, spread across the floor like someone tried to hide the place under autumn. Dust and mud caked the walls. Now me, Starla, I needed a plan. After glancing up at the massive tower standing tall in the center of Musicia, I knew. I had to escape. Help everyone win this war. Yeah, maybe my Astral Element isn't the flashiest. But it's useful.

It worked against Duke, didn't it? The point of the plan: Get there without the Lunaranites or Dreadlock spotting us. Escape. Fight back. I leaned toward Ella, whispering, "Alright, I've got something that'll get us out of here and to Celestia fast."

"What is it?" she whispered back. I explained, low and serious: "Prince, Archie, and Demaurion will distract them. Me, you, Olsen, and Eli head to the tower. Eli covers us while they're getting chased. Then Olsen throws us to the top, where the golden stars are. Once the others catch up, I'll use my tendrils and horns to pull everyone up. Then we escape to Celestia, stairs should be there. Ella nodded and passed it on to Archie, who nodded to Demaurion, who nodded to Prince, then Olsen, then Eli. Everyone got it.

I peeked up through the shattered window. The soldiers were still locked in formation—four by four. Dreadlock stood right in front. Suddenly, Dreadlock turned toward the window. I ducked fast, heart hammering, hand over my mouth. A long few seconds passed. He turned away. I exhaled hard, glancing back at the crew. Everyone was ready, Elemental powers crackling around them like quiet storms. I looked through the empty doorway. Loose papers and metal scraps blew in from the wind. Eyes narrowed.

I looked at Prince, Demaurion, Archie. A smirk crawled across my face. Astral energy surged through my arms and face, cyan and yellow tendrils lighting me up.

"You heard the plan, NOW GO!" The tendrils whipped out and grabbed them. Prince blinked, confused.

"WAIT, WAIT, HOLD UP—I WASN'T READY—" "TOO LATE!" I shouted, flinging all three of them straight through the window. They screamed, flying sideways through the air and hitting the ground with a heavy grunt. Prince stood up slow… right in front of Dreadlock. The Lunaranites all stared. Blank. Puzzled. Prince froze. Demaurion and Archie already had their weapons drawn. Prince cleared his throat.

"Uhh… Squawk. I'm a bird." One soldier raised his musket. Prince's voice cracked, sweating:"Squawk. Squawk. I'm just a bird that looks like a human. You're, uh… imagining things." A few seconds later—"AHHH! YOU GUYS ARE SHOOTING AN INNOCENT CIVILIAN! I'M AN AVANGARDIAN! I'M AN ELEMENTANITE!" he screamed, tearing off through the city like a bright blue blur. Archie launched into the sky, fire blazing below storm clouds.

"CHOKE ON THIS!" he yelled, firing a massive fireball. Demaurion blasted it down with water.

"Not now, Archie!" Meanwhile, me, Ella, Olsen, and Eli sprinted out of the gas station, weaving through ruined buildings. The whole city leaned sideways, buildings slumped like wounded giants. I leapt over fallen walls, gunshots echoing behind us, and I could still hear Prince's voice begging for his life. We ran harder. Sliding rooftops. Crashing through alleys. The city felt haunted, half-dead, monsters creeping in the shadows. We dropped down in the middle of four buildings.

"Great, great, GREAT—what now?!" I snapped. Eli pointed up. The tower. That was it. We sprinted again, dodging busted cars, debris everywhere. Olsen smashed through walls like nothing, clearing our path. A fake Lunaranite dragon dropped in front of us. Massive. Jaws wide, teeth sharp enough to split metal. We froze. It crept closer. Wings flared. Beady eyes locked on us. Eli didn't hesitate, teleported right in front, slashing with his Wyvern claws. The beast collapsed, blood spraying out. Coast clear.

Prince and the others kept fighting. Prince blurred through the streets, thunder cracked, and the rain hit. Water gushed through buildings, sweeping fake Lunaranites away. Demaurion controlled the wave, steering it toward empty buildings, smashing everything in its path. I squinted through the storm—we're close.

"WE'RE CLOSE!" I yelled. Hair soaked. Wings heavy. Didn't matter. An alien bird aimed its cannons. Bullets ripped through the air. We ducked. Olsen shouted, "I GOT THIS!" and hurled his hammer. Direct hit. The bird spiraled down, blood spraying, crashed hard. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. The hammer came back, Olsen caught it like a boss.

"WE MADE IT!" he yelled. We looked up. The tower loomed above, rusty, crooked, shattered windows. It creaked like it might fall any second. But it was huge, bigger than anything around it.

"Now we just need to get up there, come on, Olsen!" Ella called. Olsen grabbed me and Ella launched us. Full Earth-powered strength. We flew through hot, smoky air, stinking of ash. I looked down, Fake Lunaranites rushed Olsen and Eli.

"OLSEN! ELI! WATCH OUT!" Olsen spun, hammer to the ground—A rocky shockwave exploded out, stone spikes rising like a fortress. Prince blurred around the battlefield. Demaurion sent waves crashing. Archie threw fire. Dreadlock lit up, stolen Fire Element burning from his arms. Flames exploded toward Archie. Buildings cracked, leaned, snapped in half. Debris flying everywhere.

"GUYS! LEFT!" Ella screamed. Olsen turned—Eli froze time. The debris hung mid-air—suspended. Only for a second. He couldn't hold it long. Ella and I landed hard on the rooftop. I almost fell. Caught myself. Eli was struggling— I yanked both him and Olsen up with my tendrils. They landed beside us. I turned, Prince, Demaurion, Archie, still down there, fighting. I grabbed my horns tight. They started humming. A mythical tune. Indigo glow. I closed my eyes. Focused. Pulled them up toward us.

When I opened my eyes, they were already there. Lunaranites looked confused as hell. Behind us, golden stairs. Wide as a mansion. Glowing. Forged by King Vigilzante himself. The wind still carried screams, both Lunaranite and Celestianite.

"COME ON, COME ON! LET'S GET OUT BEFORE WE ALL DIE, MOVE!" Demaurion yelled, racing up. Everyone followed. Archie grinned, "LET ME LEAVE A PRESENT!" He launched one last explosion, the whole city shook. Ash everywhere. One by one, they leapt into the sky through the opening clouds. And me, I stopped. Turned back. Looked down at Musicia. Once alive. Now burned. Ashes. A memory hit me. Hard. I grabbed my head, shook it off—And jumped through the entrance after them. My knees slammed into the hard, stone-like ground.

Eyes shot open, blinding white. A void. A realm of nothing. And I was completely alone. No Archie. No Prince, Demaurion, Olsen, Ella, or Eli. Just me. I rose slowly, dust scattering from my clothes like sparks from a fire gone mad. The void stretched forever, blank and endless.

"Where… am I?" I whispered, shivering.

"I was just in a fight. Why the hell am I here?" Everything before this was a blur, too fast to grasp, like raindrops on glass. My mind spun in circles. Was it too much? Was it all—"Starla." That voice, echoing through the white nothing. I whipped my head.

"Hello?" My stomach flipped. That voice… wise, heroic… my dad? Then he appeared. Far ahead, arms wide, golden armor glinting like molten sun, purple cape flowing like liquid amethyst. Eyes glowing yellow, beard thick and white, sword shimmering with the Celestianite Emblem.

"D-DAD!" I sprinted. Tears streaked my face. Inches away, I threw my arms around him— Nothing. Gone. Never there. Then—voices, "Starla! Starla?"

"Starla, are you okay?!" Blink. The void shattered. I yelped. We were on the Celestia Bridge. Golden highway stretched beneath us, shimmering gold and amber. Cars streaked past like comets. Dusty orange sky. Smoke and gas curling in spirals overhead. Blood and scorch marks stained the pavement. Golden towers rose like jagged teeth. Cyber-cars and bikes screamed past, engines shrieking louder than alien birds. I grabbed my head. Ella steadied me.

"You okay?"

"I… I thought I saw my dad," I whispered.

"But… he wasn't real." I saw it, a gray van, glowing blue markings, cannons perched on the roof like jagged ice. Olsen squinted.

"I don't know what that is, but— aaaaand there it is." Above us: Lunaranites and Celestianites brawling mid-air. Spears, bullets, blood—chaos dripping in slow motion, streaks of violet, crimson, and gold painting the sky. BOOM. Heavy stomps. Getting closer.

"You guys hear that?" My heartbeat raced. Demaurion crossed his arms.

"I don't hear anyth—" ROARS!! Cars flew like toys. Metal crunched. Glass shattered. Three giant black bloodhounds, striped in red like demonic tigers, charged. Prince whispered, "Oh… snickerdoodles." I spun.

"AH! WHAT ARE THOSE—THOSE THINGS?!" The beasts charged. Closer. Faster. Olsen's eyes locked on the van. Without a word, he sprinted, yanked open the door, yanked the wheel. Ella shouted, "OLSEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"GET IN! WE'RE GUNNING IT!" We dove in. The van glowed cyan inside. Buttons lit up like a digital galaxy.

"ALRIGHT!" Olsen barked.

"WE LOSE THESE MONSTERS AND FLOOR IT!" He slammed the pedal. Van shot forward. Bloodhounds smashed cars aside like toys. Prince peeked out the back window.

"FLOOR FASTER! THEY'RE THROWING A TANTRUM!" Olsen swerved, tires screaming. Click. Cannons spun.

"PRINCE—TAKE THE SHOTS!"

"WHY—"" DO IT!" Olsen barked again, "ARCHIE, BURN 'EM! DEMAURION, LIGHT 'EM UP!" Prince shot upward, electricity crackling like neon veins. Demaurion got launched too—both now on mounted cannons. Prince panicked at first.

"WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO M—" But then Eli shot his head out of the windows, shattering glass and glowing with time-energy. With a flick of his hands, he signed at us while tiny ripples of green rewind energy circled him. Time bent, slowed, the bullet arcs reversed, the bloodhounds' strides stuttered and rewound a heartbeat, giving us a split-second edge. Prince locked in.

"SHOOT HERE! SHOOT THERE! SHOOT HERE!!" Bullets flew in colored trails—blue, silver, crimson. One beast hurled a car. I yelled, "OLSEN SWER—!" Olsen drifted expertly, the van weaving through shattered cars. Archie launched fireballs, red-orange sparks streaking like liquid suns. Demaurion fired relentlessly, icy blue flames lancing the beasts. Eli's hands moved, signing intricate commands.

A green shimmer traced the air, reversing certain explosions, unmaking destroyed vehicles just enough to trap the monsters in a loop. Colors collided—gold, cyan, violet, crimson—painting the chaos like a living tapestry. The two-legged beast hurled cars. Another fired a beam. Prince's lightning tendrils lashed the pavement, sliding across sparks, electricity dancing with neon cyan from Eli's time-bend.

"ARCHIE! BLOW IT UP!" Flames erupted. Metal twisted. Blood and fire mixed into streaks of orange and magenta. BOOM! One final explosion swallowed the monsters. Highway lit in violent hues, then silence. Prince flipped back onto the van, grinning.

"HELL YEAH! THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW WE'RE GOATED! THAT'S. HOW. YOU. KNOW. WE'RE GOATED!" Demaurion and Archie jumped in. Olsen swerved with a laugh.

"HA HAH! YEAH! THAT WAS THE HARDEST WE COOKED THIS oFMONTH!" But ahead—Celestianites and Lunaranites, locked in battle. And there… Incarceration, tearing through the crew like it was nothing.

"I FOUND OUR STOP!" Olsen shouted, drifting into the fight. Van launched into the air. Fire below, debris spinning like stars. Door kicked open. We stepped out, legends in motion. Prince sparked, Archie burned, Demaurion poised, Ella ready, Eli glowed, hands still tracing the time-energy sigils, light rippling like liquid green. We were back. And this time? Nothing could stop us.