Chương 11: Episode 8: Thunderstark Heist

12 Hours Later We woke up. I grabbed my daggers, threw on my hoodie, and everyone geared up. The sun was blazing, and the sky was finally a clear, brilliant blue. The clouds were snowy white, gliding slowly but gracefully across the horizon. We stepped out of the caves, locked in and fully prepped for the next quest. Steal that Power Gem. Defeat the next beast that dares to stand in our way. I turned back to my crew and smirked.

"Y'all ready?"

"Oh hell yeah, we are!" Archie said, fire sparking in his palms. We strolled into the dark blue valley and made our way toward the kingdom. The Zirixes were out and about, calm, peaceful, and just vibin' like always. As we moved deeper into Thunderstark Kingdom, we hit the crowded district. The noise was unreal—people shouting, chatting, trading. The air was basically made of static from all the voices bouncing around. I had my ear pods in this time, blasting music from Sage Against the Magic.

I was just grooving, throwing in some dance moves, moving my legs to the beat, bobbing my head. At the drop? Yeah, I full-on default danced. I know it's 2025, but some things are sacred. I swayed my tail, hit the Woah, and completely owned the street like it was a concert stage. Genius-level song choice, not gonna lie. Mid-walk, I broke into a quick breakdance spin and casually flipped back into stride like it was nothing. Eyes closed, music blasting. Didn't notice a single thing. BAM.

Olsen punched the STARS OUT OF ME. I snapped back, shaking my head, spotting my air pods on the ground. Olsen was glaring.

"Listening to Sage Against the Magic again, huh?" I puffed, smoke flaring from my nose, "Ugh, I was almost done with it!"

"Focus on the mission. We're sneaking into Thunderstark's Castle tonight. Right now, we're just grabbing food," Power explained. We wandered through rows of market tents packed tight together. So many Electronites bustling around.

"Hey, I'll take two pieces of bread, please."

"Thanks!"

"Can I trade this sword for your shield?"

"I'll give you my cows for your pigs."

"How much for these vegetables?"

"An Electronite banner? Sweet!"

"15 gold for those chickens."

"I'll pay 50 gold for a pet Zirix." The tents were ragged, held up by crooked wooden poles. Stands everywhere—piled with weapons, food, animals, you name it. Sacks of corn, meat, bread, blueberries— BLUEBERRIES?! Okay, pause. You need to know something about me. I have a wild relationship with blueberries. Like, intense. I love all berries, except strawberries (don't ask), but this stand? This glorious blue stand? It had every berry. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. A berry buffet. See, I'm a weird dragon.

Supposed to be all meat-eater, big bad Celestianite warrior and all. But blueberries? That sweet, juicy taste? Bro, it's everything. And when I say I go wild, I mean feral. Back in Insane Middle School, they served meat and veggies, but I locked eyes on the berries like a predator. Instincts took over. I acted up. Full beast mode for a few juicy blue balls (pause). But I'm trying to be better. A leader. Civilized. Mature. Prophecy member and all that. So I crossed my arms and tried to resist the stand.

Olsen was paying for food, rich boy energy from his parents' gold, and I kept glancing at the berries. Each look made my mouth water. Every berry stared back at me like,"Eat us." My instincts screamed, "TACKLE THE SACKS. DEVOUR THE FRUIT. UNLEASH THE BEAST." I started shaking. And then… the berries spoke. In a soft, seductive voice:"Come on, dragon boy… you know you want it~" I did. I really did. But I held firm. Until they whispered again:"Don~ just one bite before the seller leaves…

just one~" I took a deep breath. Intrusive thoughts kicked in, hard. All I heard in my head was: "EAT THE BERRIES. EAT THE BERRIES. FEAST, KING."

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!" I screamed. I transformed into my Celestianite Dragon form and sprinted on all fours. I lunged at the berry stand, obliterating it. Slashed open the sacks. Berries poured out like a fruity waterfall. I made a giant mouthful and went feral. The whole place went into panic mode. People screamed. Ran. Did I care? Nope. I was deep in berry bliss. Thrashing, chomping, tearing through every juicy orb like a beast possessed. I roared, "I NEED MORE!!" I demolished more stands.

I plowed through berry stalls like a bulldozer on a sugar rush. Made a mountain of berries and consumed it like a madman. I didn't stop 'til there was nothing left. Then I flopped on my belly, groaning. My face was covered in berry goop, red, black, blue. A mess.

"Ugh… I think I ate too many…" I groaned, wings stretching out. Olsen just stood there, eyes closed, breathing deep, looking equal parts disappointed and dead inside. Then he glared at me.

"What did we both agree on, when it came to BERRIES?" I chuckled nervously.

"Uhh… don't ask, its Don logic." Back in the Cave The time was 5: 00 PM, and the thunderstorm had officially crashed the party. The kingdom's lights flickered off like someone flipped the master switch, and just like that, the power was gone. Rain slammed down in sheets, it was showering. We were already holed up inside the cave, finishing off the last of the Leviathan meat. That stuff had to be cooked for a whole day, minimum.

Any less and we were playing with our lives—because who knows what ancient cosmic bacteria lives in a creature that's probably older than time. The meat turned out alright, though. Juicy, with that deep-ocean flavor, and the roasted blue scales? Crunchy as heck. Hot, but not too hot. Soft and crunchy at the same time. Honestly? Not bad. I'd eat it again. Olsen even brought bread for the squad, and a little bonus—some blueberries, just for me. Personally, I didn't feel like I deserved them, but let's be real…

I will never say no to a blueberry. I transformed into my dragon form, and in 2 milliseconds flat, the whole sack was history. Speed snackin'. The bread had a dusting of spices to keep it from being too basic, and we even had marshmallows to roast. Olsen tried his best, but man absolutely torched his. Thing turned into a crisp fossil. Archie's fire does not mess around. By 6: 00 PM, we were all full, groggy, and slowly easing into food comas. I leaned back, looked up, and asked the question on everyone's mind.

"So how the hell do we sneak in? This is not Mission Impossible: Castle Edition because that place is locked down tighter than my hoodie drawstrings on a windy day." Archie raised an eyebrow.

"Also… like, what's the point?" The whole squad looked at him like he'd just asked why water's wet. Prince blinked dramatically and spoke up:"Dude. King Thunderstark is still alive. After going toe-to-toe with the Musinites, Flamenites, Oceananites, and Mechanites. If he's still breathing, who knows what he's scheming next?" Demaurion took a savage bite of Leviathan meat, like he was staring the actual Leviathan in the face while doing it.

"He stole the gem 15 years ago. But claims to have taken it for Scientific Electronite Owl purposes which is something Electronites still believe in. Angel's the smartest one here. Why can't he figure it out?" Angel rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might fall out. Adjusting his glasses, he gave me a look, then addressed the group.

"Listen up. This is gonna be the best plan we've ever pulled off." He narrowed his eyes. Game mode: activated. The Plan"Don and Olsen, you're up first. Don's got agility and insane Celestial energy. Olsen's got brute strength and Earth Element backup. The front door's always locked, too tough to break, unless you've got him. Olsen can force it open while Don cracks the codes using his Celestial abilities. Just don't use anything lunar-based, or it might mess with the systems.

Once they're in, they'll head to the Electro Knight room. Problem: invisible electric lasers. One wrong move, and ZZZAP, alarm city. That's where Prince comes in. He weaves through the lasers, presses the deactivation button. Boom, lasers gone. But the noise might wake the knights, and that's when Demaurion goes full water beast mode and wipes them out before they can snitch. Then come the stairs. Ella, Power, and I take the back route. I'll cut the right cords to shut down the surveillance cameras.

Ella watches our backs. Power uses the tracking tablet to guide the others toward the Power Gem. Now, once you reach the silver-blue gates—yeah, those gates—the Power Gem's last line of defense? Archie scorches them down with his flames. No problem. Gem secured. I make a portal. Boom. We bounce. Mission complete, no L's taken." We sat in silence for a moment, letting the plan settle in our stomachs like the Leviathan meat.

"So when's this going down?" Olsen asked, his face lit by the flicker of stormlight. Angel gave that little evil genius grin.

"Midnight. 12: 00 AM sharp." Outside, the storm was just getting warmed up. Thunder cracked like the sky was breaking apart, and the wind howled through the cave entrance. Nature was doing the most. We knew sleep wouldn't come easy, but we had to try. I curled into my dragon form and closed my eyes.

"Get ready, guys… 12: 00 AM." 12: 00 AM I woke up to the sharp BOOM of thunder, rattling the cave walls, and groggily shook my head. I was still in my dragon form, and I looked outside into the storm. Is there still chaos out there?, I thought to myself, scanning the sky for any sign of movement. I glanced around the cave; everyone else was still asleep. That meant it was time for my Celestianite roar. Now, I won't lie—it wasn't the loudest roar ever, but it was definitely menacing.

The Electronites, thankfully, were deep sleepers, so they wouldn't hear it. I opened my mouth and let out a roar that sounded like a mix between a velociraptor and a tyrannosaurus. It echoed through the cave, and everyone shot up, startled by the horrifying noise. Olsen opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, "Olsen, you yawned so loud last time that the whole cave shook. Stay silent." Olsen closed his mouth, and everyone else slowly roused.

Angel's owl wings fluttered open, and he pulled out a few red walkie-talkies. He spread them across the ground, and Prince grabbed one, raising an eyebrow.

"What's this for?" Angel gave him a deadpan look.

"To contact you guys while you're sneaking in. And before we start, we need to play some Mission Impossible music." I dug around in my pockets and pulled out my AirPods.

"Yeah, I've got it," I said, transforming back into my base form. I handed the AirPods to Angel, who switched the setting to "3," and the familiar intro music started blaring in the background. With the theme song pumping through the speakers, we moved out. Olsen and I crept quietly from the cave, making our way toward the castle. The others positioned themselves accordingly. The castle loomed ahead, towering above us with its sleek blue, metallic exterior.

Black and yellow streaks ran across the surface, and the place was dotted with both tall and short towers. We exchanged a quick smirk, then I turned toward the door, pulling out my daggers. The entrance was a cybernetic door, made of solid titanium, with a thin line dividing it down the center. Locked, no code. Olsen grinned." OoOooOoOoooO, a locked door," he said, cracking his knuckles. With that, Olsen stepped up and punched the door with enough force to send sparks flying, bits of metal raining down on us.

I raised my hand in approval.

"Nice bro," I said with a grin. We stepped into the throne room, but things got tricky real fast. The room was massive, bathed in a shimmering electric blue glow. Six towering pillars lined both sides of the room, their surfaces gleaming under the moonlight. At the far end of the room, there was a giant black throne with yellow electric streaks running across it.

"Great, now what?" I muttered, searching for a door with a combination lock. My walkie-talkie crackled to life, and Angel's voice came through.

"You just need to find it. Got anything that could help?"

"I think I do," I said, my eyes crackling with celestial energy. I activated a power I'd never used before—Overviewing. It's like x-ray vision. Most Celestianites get it once they turn 10, but I got mines when I turned eight. It lets me see through solid objects. I focused, and the entire room shimmered in shades of celestial purple and blue. I scanned the area, and then I saw it. The door with the combination lock was on the ceiling. Why the roof?! I turned to Olsen and deactivated my ability.

"Great, it's up there. Now we need to figure out how to get up there." Olsen tilted his head.

"Can't you just fly?"

"Yeah, I can, but how are you gonna get up there?" I asked. Olsen scratched his chin, thinking hard. Then his eyes lit up.

"Wait. Use those Celestial Chains of yours."

"I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO PICK YOU UP! Are you crazy?!" I shouted, exasperated.

"Look, fine. Just try it." With a huff, I summoned the Celestial Chains. They shot out of my hands and wrapped around Olsen. He grunted, and I lifted him into the air. It was like picking up a pack of water bottles, not too heavy. I flew up, and as we neared the lock, I channeled celestial energy into my finger, touching the lock. The energy crackled like electricity, and within seconds, the lock disengaged. The door opened. I pulled Olsen up and flung him off the chains.

He landed with a thud, groaning as he stood up, rubbing his back.

"You know, next time, don't use those chains. They hurt," Olsen grumbled. I nodded, but before I could respond, we found ourselves in a long, blue hallway. Fancy lights lined the ceiling, casting a soft glow, but the hall seemed to stretch on forever. At the far end, I could see the glimmer of electrical lasers.

"This is gonna be a long one," I muttered, pulling out my daggers. We began walking slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Guards were the only ones awake at this hour, and they were probably watching for intruders. Minutes felt like hours. Then hours felt like an eternity. Olsen and I passed the time by singing "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys to keep from losing our sanity. D: "TELL ME WHY?!" O: "AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A HEARTACHE!" D: "TELL ME WHY?!" O: "AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A MISTAKE!"

D: "TELL ME WHY?!" O: "I NEVER WANNA HEAR YOU SAY!" In perfect sync:"WOO! I Want It That Way!" After what felt like years of singing the same song over and over again, we finally reached the lasers. I smirked.

"At least it passed the time." Angel's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie again.

"It's Prince and Demaurion's turn. Do you see the knights standing shoulder to shoulder on either side of the hallway?" I looked around and saw the knights, standing still in their blue and black armor. Electricity pulsed through their suits, like veins of power, and some had blackened arms while others had only one.

"Yeah, I see them," I responded.

"Good. Demaurion will take care of any knights that wake up, and Prince will help you get through the lasers," Angel explained. Suddenly, Prince shot through the hallway, his Lightning Bird form blazing with energy. He was faster than I expected. Demaurion appeared next, morphing into his sea serpent Leviathan form and zooming toward us. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. He shifted back into his human form and caught his trident.

"Let's get to work," he said, smirking. Prince crackled with lightning.

"OH YEAH! I'M GONNA BECOME TOM CRUISE!" Prince dashed effortlessly through the labyrinth of lasers, his movements sharp and fluid. Without hesitation, he pressed the red button beside the gleaming blue titanium door, and it slid open with a slow hiss. As it did, the lasers vanished. Luckily, the guards hadn't heard a thing, so Demaurion refrained from launching an attack on them. We were fortunate, really, this spot seemed to be a network of ten caves, positioned at every conceivable angle and direction.

The ceilings were covered in a deadly forest of jagged electrical spikes, each one crackling with lightning. If anything fell, it would be fried instantly. The caves themselves were dark and damp, their interiors stretching into eerie blackness that seemed endless. The air was thick with moisture, the kind of dampness that made every surface feel cold and uncomfortable. But then, a voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. It was Power, steady as ever.

"Don, you should be in the room with the ten caves. Don't panic, the one you want is the lightest one." I looked around, trying to find a source of light in the pitch black.

"Which one's the lightest one?" I asked, feeling a bit lost.

"Go through the middle one, cave number 5," Power replied. I turned to the cave directly in front of me, and sure enough, it glowed with a soft cyan hue, just enough to make it stand out in the otherwise bleak landscape. I nodded, signaling the others to follow. We moved quickly, entering the cave, though it didn't exactly get any brighter as we ventured deeper. The faint cyan glow cast eerie shadows on the black rocks, and the constant sound of water dripping from above echoed around us.

It was the kind of place that could go on forever, but it was too damp and claustrophobic for my liking. I could feel my patience wearing thin.

"Time to put these wings to use," I muttered to myself, and with a deep breath, I spread my wings wide. They flickered with a few colors, and the others watched in confused silence. A moment later, my crystallized wings started to glow a bright purple, casting a radiant light across the cave. The gloom was chased away like the night at sunrise.

"Woah… How'd you do that?" Olsen asked, his voice full of awe. I flashed him a grin.

"Just a little Celestianite perk." We continued forward, but the cave suddenly trembled beneath our feet.

"Did you guys feel that?" I asked, halting in my tracks. Olsen looked around, clearly hearing nothing.

"No, I don't hear any—" The cave shook again, a deep rumble that cut him off.

"Okay, WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" Prince shouted, his wings flapping rapidly as he soared ahead. Without another word, we all bolted toward the exit. But the cave had other plans. Rocks began to fall, crashing down from the ceiling in a cacophony of noise, and the ground shook with a force that threatened to swallow us whole.

"MOVE!" I yelled, charging up with celestial energy, my wings flapping furiously to keep pace with Prince. Olsen, now in his Rockslide Ankylosaurus form, and Demaurion, in his Dragonic Leviathan form, followed behind, but the cave was falling apart around us. The sound of crumbling stone filled the air, punctuated by the sharp cracks of jagged spikes breaking loose. I darted between falling rocks and debris, my heart racing, but the cave was relentless. It was as if it wanted to trap us here.

I ducked, dodging a falling spike just in time, but then the tremors escalated. The entire cave seemed to come alive, shaking violently as rocks and debris began to block the exit.

"DON! WATCH OUT!" Olsen shouted, his voice laced with panic. I looked up just as a jagged, earth-shattering spike came hurtling down. It pierced through my shimmering wing with terrifying force, embedding deep into the crystalized structure. I gasped in pain as I was slammed to the ground, the weight of the spike pinning me down. Blood began to spill from the wound, staining the stone floor beneath me.

"DON!" Prince cried out, his wings flaring as he darted toward me, desperation in his eyes. He landed beside me, trying to lift the spike with his wings, but it was too heavy. Suddenly, Olsen came charging from behind, his tail-club swinging down with ferocious force. The spike shattered into pieces, scattering across the cave floor. I gritted my teeth and tried to push myself up, but the pain in my wing was unbearable. I couldn't fly, and moving in my dragon form was a struggle.

The weight of the rocks falling around me felt like a hundred tons, and my limbs were too weak to carry me much further.

"I got you, bro!" Olsen shouted, his voice filled with determination. More rocks rained down, blocking our path, but Olsen didn't hesitate. He transformed into his human form and wrapped an arm around me, helping me to my feet. I was limping, barely able to stay conscious as we pushed forward. My vision blurred with every step, the cave's collapse ringing in my ears.

"I don't think we can… make it," I murmured weakly, my voice barely audible.

"We're gonna make it!" Olsen reassured me, though his voice sounded strained as the rocks crashed down around us. I stumbled, exhaustion weighing down on me with every step. I could hear muffled voices, but I couldn't make them out clearly. My body was slowing, my movements sluggish, and the next thing I knew, I was falling to the ground, unable to keep my eyes open. I felt the rocks close in around me as everything went dark. My eyes fluttered open slowly, voices muffled in the distance like echoes in water.

I sat up, blinking a few times, trying to figure out where I was. It hit me—I was still in the Thunderstark Kingdom. Inside the cave. The one where we all crashed to rest. I looked around. There they were—Olsen, Prince, Demaurion, Archie, Ella, Angel… and Power. My gaze dropped to my injured wing. A bandage was wrapped around the secondary mainsail of my dragon wing, still shimmering in that signature bright violet hue, with white flecks glinting like stars. At least that part of me hadn't dimmed.

Sunlight spilled in through the mouth of the cave. Morning. Which meant… everyone was awake. I turned to Angel.

"Did you guys get the Power Gem?" Angel smirked like he just won a video game on hard mode. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny, cyan, hexagonal gem, glowing with a faint aura and humming with energy like a choir of ghosts. He handed it to me. I held it in my hand, watching the cyan light swirl inside like a mini galaxy. I turned to the group, then locked eyes with Power.

"What happened?"

"You got hit by something called ozz," Power said casually. I squinted.

"Ozz? Like… that thing we studied in Insane Middle School? The fusion of rocks and lightning? Venomous static electricity or whatever?" Power nodded.

"Yeah. That exact ozz. I forgot to warn you. It won't kill you, but it can knock you out or mess you up pretty bad." I groaned, pushing myself upright as rubble slid from my shoulders.

"Okay. I'm standing. That's progress. But what in Avangard was that earthquake?" Angel froze. The color drained from his face. His eyes lowered.

"It's the Thunderstark Dragon Turtle…" he said quietly. A long pause.

"Liren." I blinked.

"…Cool name." Another pause.

"Terrifying delivery. Who's Liren?" Angel snapped toward me.

"LIREN. THE. DRAGON. TURTLE." His hands sliced through the air with every word.

"He lives beneath Thunderstark Castle. The legends say the castle moves every day because he's carrying the entire kingdom on his back." Silence. My stomach dropped.

"We've been on top of a living natural disaster this whole time?" Before Angel could answer— AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! Screams erupted across the kingdom. KRRRRRRRAAAAAAAKKK! The earth split apart. Buildings shook. Windows exploded outward. Thunder detonated overhead like artillery fire. Then the ground lurched again. Harder. Much harder. We ran. Fast. I burst from the cave entrance and slid across the dirt, carving a trench behind me. Then I looked up. My brain immediately disconnected. No thoughts. No words. Just fear.

Far beyond Thunderstark Kingdom— Something was rising. And rising. And rising. Entire mountains disappeared behind it. Clouds split apart around it. The horizon itself seemed too small. Liren emerged from the storm. Colossal didn't even begin to describe him. The Leviathan stood at 1, 625 feet. Liren? 3, 250 feet. A walking continent. A living titan. Jet-black scales covered his body, each one larger than a house. Rivers of yellow lightning surged through glowing cracks between the scales.

His shell resembled an entire mountain range fused together by storms. Jagged crystal-like spikes erupted across its surface. Blue energy pulsed beneath the shell like a massive reactor core. Every pulse illuminated the clouds. Every pulse shook the kingdom. BOOOOOOOM. BOOOOOOOM. BOOOOOOOM. Then I saw it. My breath caught. Liren slowly turned. Then his eyes opened. Pure electric blue. Twin stars burning inside a monster. His gaze locked onto us. The temperature dropped. The sky darkened.

Birds exploded from the forests in every direction. Animals fled. Even the clouds seemed to recoil. Then Liren opened his mouth. The roar that followed didn't sound natural. RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! The shockwave flattened entire forests. Trees snapped like twigs and were hurled through the air. Windows shattered for miles. Lightning erupted across Liren's shell, crackling in waves of blue, yellow, and white until his entire body looked like a living storm. Energy gathered inside his mouth.

It grew brighter and brighter, swelling into a blinding sphere that illuminated the battlefield. BRIGHTER. BRIGHTER. BRIGHTER. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! A pillar of lightning larger than a city erupted from his jaws and tore across the kingdom.

"GET DOWN!!" Everyone dove. The beam struck. The world exploded. A wall of force burst outward, ripping across the kingdom like a tsunami. The shockwave launched me into the air before I even realized what happened. The ground vanished beneath me. The sky spun. The earth became a blur. I crashed. Rolled. Bounced across the dirt. Then rolled again. When I finally stopped moving, a shadow swallowed me. I looked up. A claw larger than a skyscraper was descending from the heavens. My eyes widened.

"No." FWOOOOSH! I vanished. The claw smashed into the earth a split second later. The impact generated a crater hundreds of feet wide and sent debris flying in every direction. I reappeared nearby in a crouch. Dust swirled around me. Liren stared down from above while lightning crawled across his face. I pulled both daggers free. Purple celestial energy exploded across their blades. I grinned.

"Alright." CRACK. Energy surged beneath my feet. I launched forward. BOOM. The ground exploded behind me. I shot through the air and brought both daggers down. SLASH! The blades carved across his leg. A glowing wound opened and golden blood sprayed outward like molten electricity. Liren didn't even notice. He didn't flinch. He didn't react. I may as well have poked a mountain with a toothpick. I landed and skidded backward, digging trenches through the dirt. Sweat rolled down my face.

"Let's get this over with." I spun around.

"GUYS?!" Silence.

"GUYS WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"WE'RE OVER HERE!!" Angel's voice echoed from behind Liren. My eyes widened. The giant foot was already descending. Straight toward them. No time. My pupils ignited with celestial light. A grin spread across my face.

"Alright then." I sprinted. Blue-purple energy erupted behind me. Liren's leg rose above me like a vertical cliff. Didn't matter. I ran straight up it. Gravity could file a complaint later. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! My daggers blurred. Dozens of glowing cuts appeared across the titan's scales. Chunks of armor-like plating broke free and rained from the sky. I leaped. Celestial chains exploded from my wrists. The glowing links wrapped around Liren's snout.

I yanked myself forward, swinging through the storm and flipping over his head. Then his mouth opened. Another beam was already charging. I stared.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me." BOOOOOOOM! Lightning erupted. I twisted through the air. The blast missed me by inches. The sky became a sea of electricity. Clouds vaporized instantly as the shockwave spun me wildly through the air. A second later, I crashed onto Liren's shell. THUD. The surface stretched endlessly beneath me. It felt less like a shell and more like an entire mountain range. Jagged spikes towered in every direction, each one the size of a skyscraper. For one brief second, everything was still.

Then Liren shook. Like a dog shaking off water. The entire world tilted.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO!" I lost my footing instantly. My body bounced across the shell, slamming into spikes and tumbling uncontrollably down the massive slope. Then the edge arrived. Suddenly there was no ground beneath me. Only air. I fell. Fast. Very fast.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Wind screamed past me. My wings were damaged. The ground rushed upward. Closer. Closer. Closer. I was dead. Absolutely dead. Then an idea hit me. The Power Gem. I ripped it from my pocket. The cyan crystal glimmered in my hand.

"Come on." Nothing.

"Come on!" Nothing. The earth rushed closer. My heart pounded against my ribs.

"DO SOMETHING!!" Still nothing.

"POWER GEM!! I NEED YOU RIGHT NOW!!" For a split second, everything became silent. No wind. No thunder. No heartbeat. Nothing. Then— For a split second— Everything became silent. No wind. No thunder. No heartbeat. Nothing. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! A pillar of cyan energy detonated from my body. Not upward. Everywhere. The beam ripped through the clouds, tore a hole through the storm itself, and shot beyond the atmosphere like it was trying to punch a hole through the universe.

Lightning exploded beneath my skin. Every nerve ignited. Every muscle screamed. Every heartbeat became a nuclear detonation inside my chest.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The ground beneath me vanished. Not shattered. Vanished. Reduced to glowing particles by the force pouring out of my body. Cyan lightning wrapped around my arms. My legs. My neck. My eyes. The energy wasn't surrounding me anymore. It was becoming me. The Power Gem had awakened. And immediately— Everything went wrong. The world slowed. Not metaphorically. Actually slowed. Raindrops froze. Dust stopped moving.

Lightning crawled through the sky like frozen rivers. Even Liren seemed trapped inside a painting. I looked around. Confused. Terrified. My own voice sounded distorted.

"…what?" Then I moved. Or at least— I thought I moved. FWIP. I was suddenly three miles away. My eyes widened. The mountain beside me exploded from the shockwave.

"HUH?!" FWIP. I disappeared again. This time I reappeared above the clouds. FWIP. Back near the kingdom. FWIP. Across the horizon. FWIP. Inside a thunderstorm. FWIP. Back in front of Liren. I wasn't controlling the speed. The speed was controlling me. Panic immediately set in.

"OH COME ON!" Liren roared. The sound hadn't even finished leaving his mouth before I accidentally crossed the battlefield hundreds of times. Cyan streaks erupted everywhere. Thousands of them. Millions. The entire kingdom looked surrounded by an ocean of blue comets. To everyone else— I hadn't moved. Not once. I was flickering in and out of existence so quickly it looked like I was standing perfectly still. Yet entire mountain ranges were exploding behind me. Storm clouds were splitting apart.

The atmosphere was bending. Reality itself looked confused. Liren attacked. A claw larger than a city descended toward me. I tried stepping backward. Instead— FWOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! I vanished. The claw struck nothing. A continent-sized trench exploded across the landscape where I had accidentally crossed. The titan turned. I was already somewhere else. Then somewhere else. Then somewhere else again. He couldn't follow me. Neither could I. The Power Gem screamed inside my veins. More speed. More speed. MORE SPEED.

My vision fractured. The world stretched. Space folded. Colors stopped looking normal. The horizon curved. For one horrifying moment— I thought I was going to rip myself apart. Then something clicked. Not mastery. Not control. Just instinct. Enough instinct. I clenched my fist. Cyan lightning erupted around my arm. The storm above the kingdom stopped moving. Every cloud froze. Every bolt of lightning froze. Every particle of dust froze. Even Liren froze. The entire world held its breath. Then— I moved.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! A single cyan streak crossed the kingdom. Crossed mountains. Crossed oceans. Crossed the horizon. Crossed everything. And my fist connected. BOOM. Nothing happened. For one second. Two. Three. Then reality caught up. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! The atmosphere split apart. Clouds vaporized across the continent. The ocean surged against distant shores. The earth buckled beneath the force.

A ring of cyan energy erupted from the impact and expanded across the horizon like a second sunrise. Liren's head snapped sideways. Lightning exploded from every crack in his body. His shell shattered in dozens of places. The titan staggered. Actually staggered. For the first time since emerging— Fear entered his eyes. Then the giant began to fall. Slowly. Painfully. The impossible mountain of flesh and storm tilted sideways. Forests disappeared beneath his shadow. Mountains vanished behind him.

The kingdom watched in horror. And awe. Liren crashed through the first mountain. Then the second. Then the third. Entire peaks shattered apart like glass sculptures. His shell carved a canyon across the landscape. Lightning erupted from his body in continent-spanning arcs. Chunks of crystal shell the size of castles rained from the heavens. The impact generated tsunamis of dust that rolled across the horizon. BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! Every collision felt like a natural disaster.

The world shook. Thunderstark Kingdom shook. The clouds shook. Even the storm seemed terrified. Finally— After tearing apart half the horizon— Liren hit the earth one last time. KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!! The shockwave flattened forests. Dust swallowed the sky. Lightning flickered through the smoke. Then— Silence. No roar. No movement. No storm. Nothing. The titan was down. I hovered above the battlefield. Barely. The cyan lightning around me sputtered violently. My body trembled. The Power Gem flickered.

Then the energy vanished all at once. I dropped. THUD. Face-first.

"… ow." The gem slipped from my fingers and rolled across the dirt. For several seconds— I didn't move. The storm above Thunderstark Kingdom had finally begun to die. The black clouds unraveled. The lightning faded. The wind slowed. And for the first time since Liren awakened— The world felt quiet. I pushed myself onto my elbows. Pain shot through every part of my body. My muscles felt shredded. My bones felt like they had been cracked apart and glued back together wrong. Every breath burned.

Yet somehow, impossibly, I was still alive. Far below, the kingdom erupted into celebration. The sound rolled across the mountains like another storm. Thousands of voices echoed through the valley, bouncing off cliffs and shattered peaks. Even from this distance, I could hear them cheering. I simply listened. Then I rolled onto my back and stared at the sky. The storm was finally breaking apart. Dark clouds drifted away, revealing streaks of sunlight pouring across the horizon.

After everything that had happened, the sight almost didn't feel real. A grin slowly spread across my face. Three beasts down. Only a few remained.

"…you look terrible." I blinked and turned my head. Angel stood nearby with his map tucked beneath one arm. Dirt covered his clothes, his glasses sat crooked on his face, and his hair looked like the storm had personally declared war on it. Somehow, despite looking just as exhausted as everyone else, he still managed to sound judgmental.

"You disappeared for almost ten minutes," he said.

"Do you have any idea how concerning that is? I genuinely thought the Power Gem vaporized you." I snorted.

"Thanks for believing in me."

"You're welcome." The response came so quickly that I couldn't even be offended. A series of heavy footsteps thundered across the battlefield. THUD. THUD. THUD. Olsen emerged through the settling dust, pieces of shattered stone armor still hanging from his shoulders. The second he spotted me lying there, his eyes widened.

"Don!" Before I could react, he lunged forward and wrapped both arms around me. Pain exploded through my spine.

"ACK! OLSEN!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY WON!"

"I KNOW!"

"YOU PUNCHED A MOUNTAIN TURTLE!"

"I KNOW!"

"THAT'S THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"I KNOW!" He nearly crushed me into the ground again before finally letting go. Nearby, a bolt of lightning flashed across the battlefield. Prince landed beside us, electricity crackling around his body before slowly fading away. He stared out at the enormous corpse stretched across the horizon. The titan's shell alone was bigger than entire villages. Prince looked at it. Then at me. Then back at it. His face twisted into disbelief.

"…nah." I blinked.

"What do you mean, 'nah'?" He pointed directly at Liren.

"There's absolutely no way you beat that thing."

"I literally did." Prince narrowed his eyes. He looked back at the titan. Then at me. Then back at the titan again.

"…nah." A laugh escaped me despite the pain. Archie walked out of the dust a few moments later. The flames around his fists had long since vanished, but the expression on his face remained. A low whistle escaped him as he surveyed the destruction. The shattered mountains. The trenches carved through the earth. The remains of the storm. The fallen titan. Then he looked at me.

"Damn." Coming from Archie, that might as well have been a standing ovation. Demaurion arrived shortly after. Water drifted lazily around his arms before dissolving into mist. His blue eyes swept across the battlefield, carefully taking in every scar left behind by the fight. Finally, his gaze landed on me.

"You know," he said, folding his arms, "I leave you alone for five minutes and somehow you become a natural disaster." I pointed weakly toward Liren.

"To be fair, he started it." Demaurion looked at the titan. Then at the mountains. Then at the giant crater I was currently lying inside.

"…fair." A swirl of sand spiraled nearby. Ella stepped out of it and immediately froze. Her eyes locked onto the titan. Then onto me. Then back onto the titan. The silence stretched. Which was terrifying. Because Ella always had something to say.

"Ella?" I asked. She slowly raised a finger and pointed toward Liren.

"You fought that?"

"Yep." She stared at me for another second.

"You?"

"Yep."

"The same Don who nearly choked on a blueberry last year?" I immediately sat up.

"THAT HAPPENED ONE TIME." Ella buried her face in her hands.

"I can't believe you're a real person." Before I could defend myself, a pulse of blue energy swept across the battlefield. Everyone turned. Power descended from the sky. Calm. Silent. Completely untouched. Not a scratch marked his clothes. Not a speck of dirt rested on his shoulders. He looked less like someone who had just witnessed an apocalyptic battle and more like someone who had finished a casual afternoon walk. The group immediately fell quiet. Power's glowing eyes drifted toward the fallen titan.

Then toward me. Silence followed. Five seconds passed. Then ten. Then fifteen. Finally, he gave a single nod.

"…acceptable." I stared at him.

"THAT'S IT?" Power shrugged.

"It worked."

"I ALMOST DIED."

"Yet you didn't."

"I THINK I BROKE REALITY."

"Only temporarily." I pointed at him in disbelief.

"ONLY TEMPORARILY?!" Power completely ignored me. Of course he did. Laughter erupted around us. Even Archie laughed. Even Demaurion. For the first time in what felt like forever, nobody was fighting. Nobody was running. Nobody was desperately trying to survive the next disaster. We were just standing there together. Exhausted. Bruised. Broken. Victorious. The setting sun cast golden light across the titan's shell.

The last storm clouds drifted apart overhead, and for a brief moment the entire battlefield glowed beneath the evening sky. It felt like the end of something. But it wasn't. Because beyond the horizon, another adventure was waiting. Angel suddenly unfolded his map. His eyes widened.

"Musicia." The group immediately turned toward him. Then toward the distant horizon. I pushed myself to my feet. Every muscle protested. My legs nearly gave out. I didn't care. A grin spread across my face as I climbed onto the shell of the fallen titan. The final traces of cyan lightning drifted from my body, scattering into the wind like fading stars. Ahead of us stretched an entirely new land. A new journey. A new chapter. I looked toward the horizon and smiled.

"Then let's start the real adventure."