The ground shook under their feet. The air felt heavy, like a storm was about to break. Flauge dropped to his knees, waking up instantly. His head hung low, and he stared at the dirt beneath him. He looked completely defeated, as if he regretted every single word he had just spoken. He had always thought he was strong, but now everything was different. A few moments ago, he felt like a god. Now, he felt like a small, ordinary human again. He knew his friends would not be happy with him today.
A few feet away, Ayelen stood near the glowing object. Without waiting, Ayelen reached out and grabbed the key.
The moment his fingers touched the cold metal, the whole universe started to shake. The sky turned a strange color, and the wind began to howl loudly. There were other keys scattered nearby. Those keys had the power to help Arnold and Flauge get much stronger, but Ayelen did not look at them. He did not care about helping the others right now. He only cared about the power in his own hand.
Ayelen stood up straight and looked ahead. The dust cleared, and three or four large, scary Nylomites appeared in front of him. They bared their teeth and moved closer, ready to attack. But Ayelen did not move. He felt a huge, immersive power rushing through his veins. It was a perfect form, a power so great that it changed everything about him.
With a simple wave of his hand, Ayelen used that massive power. Instantly, one of the Nylomites vanished into thin air. It was erased completely, leaving no trace behind.
The remaining Nylomites stopped for a split second, confused by what had just happened. But their anger took over, and they charged toward Ayelen with great speed. They wanted to tear him apart. But they never got the chance. Before they could even reach him, something invisible and incredibly sharp tore through the air. The Nylomites were cut down in a very violent and brutal way. It looked as if someone was holding a giant cutter in their hand and shaking it vigorously back and forth. Pieces of the monsters hit the ground, and blood spilled everywhere.
Ayelen stood in the middle of the mess. His eyes looked different, empty and dark. He had entered a fierce berserk mode. It was a terrible state of anger and power that absolutely nobody could stop.
Vermiliya stood a few yards back, watching the whole thing. She saw Ayelen in that scary mode, cutting down every single enemy simultaneously without even blinking. A deep fear washed over her. She had never seen Ayelen look like this before. He did not look like a friend anymore. He looked like a monster.
Ayelen turned around. His eyes locked onto her, and he began to walk toward her. A freezing, cold aura followed him with every step he took. There was no fear in his face. In fact, it looked like Ayelen was now completely incapable of feeling fear. He stopped right in front of her, his shadow falling over her small frame.
Slowly, Ayelen reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. He handed it over to her. His voice was low and lacked any emotion when he spoke.
"I hope you will not betray me," Ayelen said.
Vermiliya took the key with a shaking hand. Her heart beat fast against her chest. She looked up at him and tried to keep her voice steady. "Where is Arnold?" she asked.
"He went to the battlefield," Vermiliya replied, looking away from his cold stare. "He went to help Flauge fight against Wadle. Flauge is really struggling right now because he doesn't have a key to protect himself."
Vermiliya looked down at the key in her hand, then looked back at Ayelen with worry in her eyes. "Are you going to give them the keys too?" she asked.
Ayelen did not answer her out loud. Instead, a dark thought entered his mind. He kept the line hidden deep in his head, where she could not hear it. 'No, I will not give them the keys. If I give them the keys, they will only use them against me later.'
This thought was dangerous. It was the first real spark of betrayal, a sign that Ayelen was changing into someone who could no longer be trusted by his own friends. But on the outside, he kept his face perfectly calm. He looked at Vermiliya and lied to her to keep her quiet.
"I will give them the keys after some time," Ayelen said in a smooth voice. "But for now, I am going to go and help them myself."
Without waiting for her reply, Ayelen walked away into the smoke.
Vermiliya knew she had to move fast. She ran past the ruined buildings and headed straight toward the loud sounds of crashing and explosions. The battlefield was a complete disaster. Dirt and smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe. In the center of the clearing, Arnold and Flauge were bruised and bleeding, barely holding on against vadel's heavy attacks.
Vermiliya rushed onto the battlefield, dodging falling rocks. She reached the two men and immediately began to use her magic to heal them. A soft light flowed from her hands, closing their deep cuts and fixing their broken bones. As Arnold and Flauge felt their strength return, they gasped for air.
They both looked up at her at the exact same time and asked, "Where is Ayelen?"
Arnold wiped the sweat from his forehead and added, "Did he find the key?"
Vermiliya felt a knot form in her stomach. She remembered Ayelen's cold eyes and his hidden threat. She looked down at the ground, unable to meet their eyes, and told a lie.
"Yes, he found a key," Vermiliya said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But we only found one single key."
Flauge wiped the blood from his mouth and frowned. "Where is he then? He should be here."
"He said he is coming to help us," Vermiliya answered quickly, trying to sound believable. "He told me he would be here in two minutes. But where he is right now, I honestly don't know."
Arnold stood up, gripping his weapon tightly. Flauge got to his feet beside him, his muscles tense. They could not wait any longer. vadel was standing across the field, laughing at them, ready to finish the fight. Arnold and Flauge took a deep breath, preparing their bodies to face vadel once more. They knew it would be a hard fight, but they had to try.
But before vadel could take another step toward them, a heavy crunching sound came from the shadows behind Arnold and Flauge.
A loud, clear voice cut through the noise of the wind.
"Hey, you mo*herfu*ker!"
Arnold and Flauge spun around in shock. Ayelen stepped out from the thick smoke. The cold, dark aura from earlier was now radiating intensely from his body, cracking the ground beneath his boots. He did not look at his friends. He kept his eyes locked straight on the enemy.
Ayelen walked right past Arnold and Flauge, stopping a few feet in front of them. He stared at the giant alien monster standing before them.
"You once told me that you don't respect humans or any other living beings," Ayelen said, his voice completely calm but incredibly dangerous. "You thought your power was beyond comparison. You thought nobody could touch you."
Ayelen smiled a cruel, cold smile and pointed his finger at vadel.
"So let's have a cup of tea with me. You b!tch as$ ugly alien."
CHAPTER 28 ENDS