Back in the clearing, the dust settled.
Allowing Talen to witness the full might and horror of the Bird of Plague. As he did, cold sweat ran down his forehead, his heart beating in a frenzy.
"This is not going to be anywhere near easy." he whispered.
Glancing at the kneeling Henry, he groaned. 'Him.'
Glancing back, his eyes locked onto the bird's.
The horror gazed at Talen with overwhelming murderous intent. With each breath it drew, the gaze grew darker.
Slipping into the Zone, Talen observed it, searching for an opening to escape, knowing a battle with it would only lead to his agonizing death.
However, there was none.
The Tempest stood an impregnable wall; even with his enhanced vision, Talen could not spot a single crack in the wall that was the Bird of Plague.
Every scenario he visualized ended with his head rolling in a pool of his blood; every plan he concocted concluded with him, a meal.
It was beaten and tortured into him that everyone and everything had a weakness, that no one was ever truly invincible. Only, they were stronger.
After all, to an elephant even a lion is a mere ant.
'I have been outclassed.' Talen thought, chuckling.
This was a first outside of 7734. Nevertheless, he had survived against the odds countless times. That is why he was the one standing before the Tempest, not the other Subjects.
Clenching his jian tighter, Talen crouched. "Henry, I'm gonna run at it. Find cover or escape." He whispered.
Henry glanced at Talen, ears bleeding. "I can hear fine now." he gritted his crimson teeth.
"I can help." He groaned, struggling to stand.
"Goddamn it, you're only gonna get in t-"
Fweet.
A sharp whistle interrupted Talen's quiet complaint.
Following it, a powerful whirlwind pounded against his chest.
Reeling back from the impact, Talen coughed, but there was no air, only agony.
His eyes began turning red as he battled for a breath; sweat dripped from his forehead.
Rushing to assist Talen, Henry stepped into the Zone.
"Sorry about this." Henry muttered, striking Talen.
Slowly tilting its head, the bird watched as Henry assisted Talen.
"Nice." Talen managed between breaths.
"That whistle, the wind." Talen heaved, his breaths steadying.
"But, where is it attacking?" Henry asked, hands trembling. "And why is it just standing there?"
"We can't see, just hear. And we're toys, not threats to it." Talen answered. "You can help, but the moment there is an opening, escape." he ordered, realizing every bit of help he could get was crucial.
"Distract it." Talen instructed, sprinting at the Bird.
Noticing him, it shrieked subtly, almost like it was intrigued.
Blinking, it released another whistle from a hole buried under its feathered ear.
Hearing the whistle, Talen focused, hoping to sense movement in the air before it was too late.
However, his senses were too limited.
But he still ran.
Henry remained frozen, his heart going through a tumult of emotions.
Fear of the imminent death, with little hope of survival.
Regret at his assistance to Talen's decision to travel upstream. 'If I had protested, we would not be here. Facing that.'
Anxiety, on whether to flee like Talen had initially ordered, to flee like he wanted to. Or to stay and fight with Talen.
'I want to run.' The singular thought clouding his mind.
While Henry trembled, mind clouded, a gale of wind swept Talen away like a rag doll.
Groaning to his knees, bruised, he glanced back at Henry. "Move, goddamn it." he roared.
Talen's roar pierced through Henry's haze, reminding him of his promise to his dead mother.
'I want to, and have to be brave.' Henry thought, clenching his fist with resolve.
Swallowing down all his fears, he ran at the Tempest, hollering insults at it.
'That works.' Talen thought, standing.
Noticing the shift in its gaze, a wry smile crept onto his face. 'It is as smart as the Spider, just a hell of a lot stronger.'
Glancing at it a final time, he began running at it with light steps, ensuring he hid from its vision.
Henry continued with his distraction; however, the bird did not attack. It only watched with its cold gaze.
Tilting its neck again, it watched as Henry approached it like a madman, still as stone.
'This is good, right?' Talen questioned, running faster.
Clenching his jian harder, he jumped high, soaring into the sky.
His jian's sharp edges gleamed in the night's light, catching the bird's eyes.
Twisting its neck, its eyes landed on Talen.
The world froze, time ceased to exist.
Every sound melted into a muffle, only Talen's raging heart remained firm and clear. Beating like a raging beast.
'Knew it was too easy.'
But then, another sound contested his raging heart.
A whistle.
Instinctively Talen shielded himself.
He could not see the attack, only hear its sick warning. All he could do was protect his vitals and helplessly await it.
He waited and waited, even began to descend in wait. However, there was no gale, no gust, no whirl.
'Henry.' he whispered in dread.
Glancing at him, his eyes froze.
Henry swayed, in place of his heart a gaping hole oozing blood. He had died so simply, so easily.
No pain on his face, only confusion. No cry on his lips, only a tremble.
It was a simple and painless death, perhaps the best death for Henry.
'Already.' A whisper escaped Talen's lips.
The next moment, Talen's indifference transformed into pain as the Tempest's enormous wing slapped him, shattering his ribs as it hurled him into nearby trees.
Flying through the trees, more bones broke, branches bruised and impaled, his head meeting with many trunks.
As his agonizing flight came to a slow end, Talen groaned in excruciating pain, planted into the ground.
Every fiber of his mangled body burnt in torment; the inside of his head rang like church bells as it bled onto his eyes.
Gritting his bloody teeth, Talen grabbed the branch plunged deep in his abdomen.
'Should've just killed me, bastard.' Talen thought, slowly pulling the branch from his stomach.
Although Talen was accustomed to the pain, it was still pain.
Muffling his screams, he pulled harder, blood dripping.
Gritting his teeth, Talen gave it the final pull.
As it left his body, a pool of blood chased.
Gritting his teeth, he silenced his screams.
He pressed hard on the opening. However, it only made his muffles louder.
Blood seeped through his lips; he endured, pressing harder.
Looking around with blurred vision, he saw the Bird of Plague staring at him. 'Henry.' He remembered, glancing at him.
"A corpse." He mumbled, tone empty.
In front of the bird lay Henry's corpse in a pool of blood. On his chest was a gaping hole where his heart was; on his face a look of confusion was frozen; in his eyes primal fear was frozen.
"What's the use." Talen groaned, coughing more blood.
He heard another dreadful whistle.
He smiled, his empty smile.
Again, in a similar twist, there was no attack.
...
Valen and Calistis arrived at the Clearing.
"What are you doing here." Valen asked, glaring at Kestis.
"You must be blind." Kestis replied, disgust evident in his eyes.
"My lady, sit here and await the next day with me." He said, his tone jollier than ever.
Ignoring him, Calistis began walking into the clearing.
"Wait my lady, the Tempest Bird of Plague nests in there." He hurriedly warned, struggling to stand. "I plead with you, do not enter."
However, she continued to ignore his warnings, walking into the clearing in silence.
Watching his struggle to stand and plea to Calistis, Valen sighed. "You truly are pathetic." He muttered under his breath.
He followed.
"Die then, if you will not give my concern a listen." Kestis spat.
...
Focusing his eyes, he noticed the Bird engaged in another entertaining squabble.
"The whistle is the command." Calistis declared.
Glancing at the mangled Talen, she sighed. 'Dead already.' she thought, sprinting at the bird.
'That is enough rest. I am already hallucinating.' Talen thought, stepping back into the Zone.
Using the branch that had impaled him, he struggled to his feet.
With many groans and muffled cries, he did.
He stood like a corpse. Blood dripped from his head and from his side like a tap.
He began fading in and out of the Zone as his body swayed; his eyes flickered purple and blue.
He had never pushed himself that far. Now that he had done it, he was in regret.
The pain from the Zone alone was enough to bring him to his knees, further coupled with his injuries. Talen was in new territory.
As he swayed, his body felt different; he felt something ethereal leaving it.
It hurt when it left, but yet it did not.
"What the hell." he muttered, words flowing in a crimson pool.
Suddenly all the pain he suffered disappeared; his body, though still mangled, felt new.
Confused, he examined his body. He noticed how it was the same; bleeding and mangled.
"Would you look at th-" Before he could speak, a primal cry of agony tore from his lungs.
...
Garvin stood on edge as he watched Calistis and Valen's turmoil with the Tempest.
For the most part they were performing well; however, he knew the Tempest was not unleashing its all.
"Damn rules, we might lose a really talented batch." Garvin mumbled.
Suddenly he heard a deafening cry of agony.
With a subtle smile, he glanced at the hologram displaying what he once thought was a dead Talen.
He saw Talen barely standing, resembling a bleeding corpse more than anything. His head was raised to the skies as he cried.
"Third Zone." he whispered in bewilderment.
...
Back in the clearing, Valen glanced at Calistis, asking the silent question.
They continued battling the Tempest, landing a few strikes. However, it was still holding back, toying with them.
Talen's cries became louder, more pained as every ounce of Nether in his muscles was violently stripped away.
His knees shivered, unable to hold his body. He fell, his cries losing volume.
As the last drop of Nether escaped his muscle, a surge of blood rushed through his lips.
He fell on his face, eyes closed.
The escaped Nether, invisible to the naked eye, swirled around him.
Gently the Nether began making its return into his body.
It bypassed his skin, muscles, tissue, fiber. Traveling to and destroying his every cell. In their place, cells made of Nether.
Opening his eyes with a purple gleam, Talen drew in a heavy breath.
"Blood." He heard an ethereal whisper, not through his ears, but rather through his mind.
He smiled, his empty smile. 'Third Zone.'
To test his strength, Talen clenched his fist. However, he felt weaker.
Struggling again, he rose to his feet.
"Still not healed." He sighed.
Looking at his killer, he thought. 'Blood? What does that mean?' Wondering about his supposed Zone ability.
Observing his body over, he could subtly sense an energy inside him and everywhere else.
"Nether." he whispered.
"Can I control my blood, then?" He wondered.
Focusing on his bleeding side, he felt a connection with the stream of blood.
Acting on the connection, he wielded the blood back into him.
He swallowed as he watched it slowly return.
With a smile, Talen wielded his bleeding pores and head to a stop. "This is good, but." He mumbled.
Glancing at the Tempest, he continued. "But not effective for battle." Clicking his tongue.
Wiping the blood from his face with the blue scarf, Talen sprinted at the Bird of Plague.