The Obelisk

-Chapter 99-

The storm circled around him.

Jethezzar stared ahead in terror, holding the rune tightly in his claws. He turned slowly around and around and watched the storm whirling on all sides.

Forest was shoved back. He dug his claws into the stone as the force of the storm hitting the ground sent the Five skidding backwards. He lifted his head, the wind stinging his eyes and making them water. He watched the clouds in wide shock and fear.

‘Oh, Jethezzar.’

Thunder cracked from above. Jethezzar glanced down at the rune in his talons, his golden eyes filling with determination and anger. Gritting his teeth, he reared up and lifted one wing to throw the rune against the ground.

Then stopped.

Something horrible sizzled in his veins. He looked up at the rune in pure horror and it screeched in his ears and filled his head. He watched his claws begin to melt and his mouth split open in an enormous scream as his head lifted to the sky.

Pain. Something pulled him onto the ground and he crashed against rock, banging his head and rolling it over to watch his wing begin to burn and rip apart. The rune glowed softly in his talon and tears filled his eyes. He couldn’t move.

He watched with sad and scared eyes as he was torn apart.

***

Moonlight turned the orange grass silver. Just as quick as it had come, the storm receded and sunk back into the black and gray sky.

Forest opened his eyes to squint ahead. Mist spread across the ground and around his talons. Crimson stepped forward to cautiously smell the air, and Rust came up behind her, his feathers ruffled and pressed up against the Kapro.

A gentle green glow shone from beneath the mist. Forest took a pace towards it when Spark moved to stand at his side, looking worried. “Forest,” she whispered.

“It’s OK,” Forest said quietly. He took another step towards the light.

It began to rain. Small droplets of water sizzled at the ground and the mist began to die away, breaking apart to reveal the rune.

It sat alone on the dark ground, blinking faintly. Forest came towards it slowly, watching with steady eyes as its light pulsed warmly up at him, and then dimmed and flicked off.

Forest picked it up, and snow began to fall.