Back at the clearing, Pontiff Sullivan had raised his sword in the air and prayed for Lord Dhobor’s assistance. Soon after, the sky darkened. Clouds filled the air and lightning lit up the sky. Thunder rumbled, announcing something ominous. Then the clouds split, allowing sunlight to fall directly on the Pontiff.

Sullivan’s body glowed. His sword went from blue to golden then to pure white. It looked like a piece of metal that had been put under fire for long enough to change form. Sullivan had also changed. Large ethereal wings sprouted from his back. He was wearing the kind of armor you’d expect from God’s angels. He’d grown in size too. And his voice… His voice when he spoke sounded as though it came from all directions.

“You’ve offended the lord and protector of this realm. You shall suffer the consequences of your folly. Die now and know that our lord forgives you. Resist and you shall know terror!”

Theolonius clapped, slowly and loudly enough for the transformed Pontiff to hear.

“Impressive,” he said. “Dhobor can transform your puny mortal body by merging your soul with that of an Aeon. That’s something I’ve got to learn!”

“You refuse to give in,” Sully’s echoing voice said. “Dhobor’s mercy on your soul!”

The angel looking Aeon charged the wizard.

“Stop!” Theolonius yelled and the angel was immobilized. The spell was nothing like the one Myles used beforehand. The spell only stopped the angel, nothing else around it.

“By now my staff must’ve fed on your men,” Grandpa Stalwart went on. “Let’s see what I’ll become if I emulate the effect of your spell. I’ll tweak it a bit to fit my needs. It won’t be copying, or stealing, if it’s changed a bit, will it?”

Theolonius recalled his staff which had left a pile of withered mummies in golden armor behind it. He raised his right hand to catch it while the angel struggled to fight the effect of the spell.

“Don’t fight it Sully,” Theo urged his friend. “Light can’t beat time. But you know that already!”

Theolonius held the staff in the air and focused his intention on emulating the miracle Sullivan had just cast. The result was, to say the least, spectacular. Dark clouds filled the sky once more. Purple and blue lightning filled the sky. This time, the clouds didn’t part. They kept condensing, building more friction, resulting in louder thunder, and brighter lightning bolts.

The time stop spell subsided and Sullivan resumed his charge. His gigantic size wasn’t synonym with slow movement however. Sullivan swung his sword so fast a naked eye couldn’t follow it. But Theo did. Stalwart moved gracefully around his opponent who was now slashing the air.

Realizing his attempts to land one hit were futile, Sullivan changed tactics. His beat his ethereal wings in the air and gained altitude. His glowing sword swung downward then, toward the wizard, and a shockwave ensued. It was so bright it lit the dark clearing in which they fought. Theo cursed. He knew the shockwave would kill him upon impact. And his summoning hadn’t ended yet.

He raised his hands in the air and a thick lightning bolt descended on the ground, blocking the shockwave. The explosion that followed flattened the trees in a three miles radius. Everything was scorched.

The withered mummies of the fallen paladins had turned to dust. Utar and Sam were lucky enough to retreat before calamity fell. The tree vessel didn’t escape the explosion either. Its door was now blown open.

All windows on the ship were blown apart and the living room at the ground floor was now a scorched mess. Raiya had known the two would butt heads and create chaos and retreated downstairs before the devastating exchange of spells began. After the explosion had subsided, Raiya began the teleportation process.

“You persist on fighting back,” Sullivan’s voice echoed through the forest again. “But know that your attempts will only result in failure!”

“If that’s what you like to believe,” Theo answered. He held his arms in the air and his evil staff flew back to his right hand. “I like to change people’s beliefs though,” Theo went on. “Call it a nefarious habit of mine.”

At that point, all clouds in the sky were now filled with thick lightning bolts. A storm raged above the two old friends. Theolonius raised his staff in the air then smiled at the angel before him.

“Let’s see which one is stronger,” he said, “the original, or the copy!”

All lightning in the sky, blue and purple, gathered in one spot, above the wizard. Then with a thundering boom, it descended upon Stalwart. The earth below him had gone, only an endless pit showed then. Clouds suddenly parted and the world was back to its usual sunny afternoon feel.

Before the angel of Dhobor, a terrifying creature stood, or floated in the air to be more accurate. He was twice the size of a human being. He wore dark armor with sharp, pointy ends at the shoulders. His helmet had a horn in the front, as though he was a rhino ready to charge. His wings were at least ten feet wide. He flapped them as he flew in the air. The staff Theo had been using was nowhere to be seen.

“What an amazing spell!” Theo’s voice boomed across the entire forest. “I feel as though I gained a new level of power. There’s no blood in me, just Essence! Is that how it feels to be a celestial?”

“DIE!” Sullivan’s angel charged. He swung his sword multiple times and two dozen shockwaves hurled themselves at the transformed wizard.

Theo opened his arms, as if to embrace them. The shockwaves landed and the sound of explosions filled the forest, devoid of life now. If looked at from above, the forest looked like it had been hit by a giant meteor. Everything had burned off and died in a neatly formed circle.

The explosions resulting from the shockwaves hitting Theo’s body took care of the rest of the forest. Five hundred acres were reduced to dust and ash. The tree vessel Theolonius was so proud of had already teleported away. By the time the explosions subsided, Theolonius came out from behind the dust, unscathed.

“This is phenomenal!” he exclaimed. “But enough dilly dallying, it’s time to strike back!”

Theolonius Stalwart brought his hands together and rubbed them, creating friction. A tiny dark orb, filled with dark energy, formed around them, which he shot directly at the angel. The angel retaliated with another swing and shockwave, which was absorbed by the orb, then grew larger.

Stalwart laughed heartily. “You can’t stop this now Sully. Retreat and go cry to your lord. The bones are mine and so the world will end!”

Sullivan answered with his mighty sword. He swung it at the orb. If one shockwave wouldn’t do it, he might as well go for rapid successive ones. And he did. He swung his sword, sending multiple shockwaves at the orb which absorbed all of them and grew in size. It was a large sphere now, advancing slowly toward the angel who realized then the dire situation he was in.

Sullivan beat his wings and retreated. If he couldn’t diffuse the orb that was sent toward him, he might as well defeat the caster. He flew around the orb and toward Theolonius. He threw his sword toward the dark creature Stalwart had become, folded his wings and dived.

“Going all out eh?” Theo asked. “You’re as naïve as I remembered you Sully!”

With a flick of his index finger, the orb changed course and charged at the sword. It swallowed it whole and stood between the angel and his opponent.

“Darkness absorbs everything,” Theo said. “Imagine if it transformed everything it absorbed into its own energy and threw it back at you? I don’t suppose your enhanced body could take it.”

Sullivan abruptly opened his wings and came to a full stop.

“Stop it Theo,” he said. “You’ll destroy us all!”

“Wouldn’t that be pretty?!” Theo asked. “You broke my heart when you betrayed me old friend. I don’t want to kill you until you witnessed the consequences of what you’ve done.”

Theolonius flicked his finger and the orb started advancing toward the Pontiff. “Once it touches you,” he said, “this place will no longer exist. I might lose my land, but I’ve gained more power than I could’ve hoped for today. Mix some darkness with light, and what do you have? Chaos!”

Sullivan beat his wings once more and retreated. “You’ve gone mad!” he yelled at his old friend. “Talia wouldn’t have wanted this!”

“Talia’s dead,” Theo answered. “We wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t!”

Theolonius waved his hand and the orb picked up speed, following the angel as he zigzagged and maneuvered in the air. A dark energy crackled as the orb followed the angel at breakneck speed while Stalwart laughed.

“Aren’t we all mad dear old friend?” he called out to the angel. “The world is doomed, might as well get it over with!”

“Not like this Theo,” Sullivan yelled back. The orb was now getting dangerously close. He dreaded to think of what would happen if it exploded now and then.

“Say hi to Talia for me,” Theo said. “I’ll be joining you soon.”

Theolonius clicked his fingers, ordering the orb to explode, but nothing happened.

A gigantic crimson bird materialized in front of the orb and swallowed it.

The world had gone dark for the third time that day. Theolonius looked at the bird shrink. Then fire engulfed it and it instantly turned to ash. He felt gravity pull him downward and the effect of the spell faded away. He landed on both feet while his armor and wings dissipated, and so did the angel. Old man faced old man and they both looked at the dark sky above them.

The Blond moon was now standing before the sun, obstructing its rays from reaching them. Light mixed with darkness and chaos ensued. From the light ring that remained around the moon, one could see darkness seeping. Then a song broke and the entire world heard it. The voices that sang it weren’t in harmony, but they all sounded the same, playful and happy.

The Phoenix withers and dies,

The Roosa’al invade your lives.

Beware the vicious Wild Hunt,

Their weapons, sharp and blunt.

Kill ten and them you shall join,

The Holi Wars is where you’re going.

If the Ori Sisters you dare challenge,

The threads of fate you must scavenge.

Lure them with the golden flute,

Sneak past them and steal their fruit.

But if light shines bright in your eyes,

Seek the three legged bird in the skies,

Don’t you let him hear your cries.

Osmen awaits in Mount Condurr,

Don’t cower, step back or surrender.

The pure Unicorn will give its blood,

Willingly, lest you drown in mud.

And Abrath, the Venomous King,

Will give its plume,

If you forsake everything.

The phoenix rises from ash,

Finds the chosen one,

Thus the champions clash,

And the summoning is done.