The pond's glow began to pulse, slow at first, then faster, brighter. The water swirled, spiralling downward into a dark hole that formed in its centre. And in the middle of that spiral was a cub.
Everyone could see it, and the aura coming off it made them frown. It was like a mix between a wolf and a deer.
It had deep black fur, with a little bit of silver around it, making it look like space with twinkling stars, horns on its head branching out like the stems of a tree, glowing with bright silver light.
Its fore limbs were paws of a wolf, while its hind limbs were those of a deer. But all in all, it looked like a mistake, something that shouldn't have been born.
"What did you do?" Zayden's voice was very low in anger, and the coldness coming off him was felt by everyone. It was for a moment, but there was a slight hint of red that flashed across his eyelids.
"Let's see you handle this hero", the military man cackled.
Zayden could feel himself losing control. He wanted to kill this man because how the hell would someone do a thing like this during the apocalypse, when we were all supposed to help each other.
"Splash!!"
Before Zayden could do anything, a slash caught their attention. The swirling and bubbling of the bond stopped, and in front of the crater that housed the pond was the aberration, its eyes focused on the group in confusion, curiosity, and then killing intent.
It was standing at three meters tall, big enough for the people back at the bust to see it.
"Please tell me," Dare muttered, "that we can kill that."
The aberration screeched, a sound that ripped through the air and made their bones ache. Then it lunged forward with impossible speed, tendrils striking like whips.
"Scatter!!" Zayden roared, wielding his sword in front of him. The law of darkness gathered on the blade of the sword as he struck out, blocking the tendrils.
But it was too strong; that one strike sent him crashing into one of the buildings.
'It's stronger, ' Zayden thought as he quickly got up, ready to charge at the aberration.
Lightning crackled in the sky as thunder boomed; a bolt of golden lightning struck down on the body of the aberration. But to his surprise, as soon as the strike touched the space-like body of the aberration, it sank into its body, the body of the aberration glowing brighter and brighter.
"Oh no… It's feeding off us, too!" Tyrel said in surprise.
Soren leapt forward, grabbing a tendril and swinging his body up toward the monster's head. He slammed a punch straight into its eye. The blow landed, but the beast didn't even flinch. Instead, another tendril wrapped around him and hurled him into a broken tree.
Amara's shadows lashed at its limbs, slowing it for a heartbeat. "Zayden! Plan?"
"We hit it with everything before it adapts!"
The team charged.
Valeria's blade burned with holy light, carving into one of its legs. Aiden's arrows struck the glowing cracks in its skin. Dare's drones fired concentrated bursts of heat at its joints. Isara froze the ground beneath it, making it stumble for just a second.
That second was all Zayden needed.
He sprinted, his grip on his sword firm. He leapt onto a tendril, running along it toward the beast's head. The law of darkness on his sword increased, the aura terrifying, and in one swift motion, he struck down.
A blinding flash of dark light lit the clearing. The aberration roared in pain, its shriek strong enough to cause the ears of the unevolved to bleed.
But then… it laughed.
Yes... Laughed
The sound was deep, wrong, and filled with hunger. Its body began to twist and shrink, silver veins spreading wider like cracks in its skin, its size reducing before their eyes.
Very quickly, it was about seven feet, just like Darian, it had no face, just a smooth orb for a face and a thin line for a mouth. The root of the horns was in place of its eyes.
Its fore limbs, which looked like the paws of a wolf, became its hands, but with furry palms and extra-long claws for nails. Its hind limbs remained the same, and now it looked a lot like Darian when he transformed.
Tyrel's face went pale. "We just made it evolve again."
It shrank, but everyone could feel the highly concentrated cosmic energy coming off it. While Tyrel's face was pale, he was excited, beyond excited, and he was ecstatic.
'Now, this looks more like an apocalypse,' he thought, lightning crackling around him.
The monster opened its mouth, its voice echoing like a thousand whispers.
"More..."
There was shock on the faces of everyone. This evolution was beyond fast. This thing had not been alive for more than twenty minutes, but it could already talk.
This growth was terrifying. Zayden could see the usefulness of the Cascading Starlight Pond, and this made his need for it grow.
With help from this pond, he would be able to increase the strength of everyone in his shelter by a large margin before the second apocalypse.
It would help them come to terms with the world faster and, in turn, increase their strength faster.
The crackling of lightning around Tyrel increased, and the aberration seemed to notice it. The line that was its mouth tilted slightly into a grin.
"You..."
The ground shook as the aberration stepped forward.
Tyrel's hands were already crackling with energy. He didn't wait for orders. This thing had taken the pond's power, and if they didn't stop it now, it would keep growing.
And above all, he was excited to fight the aberration.
"Keep it distracted!" he called. His voice was sharp, urgent and excited.
Valeria charged the monster's flank, her blades flashing. Amara's shadows rose like spears from the ground, forcing the beast to twist and dodge. Dare's drones strafed overhead, sending flashes of light to draw its eyes.
Tyrel wasn't aiming for its eyes.
He was aiming for its heart.
A tendril lashed toward him, but lightning was faster. It burst from his palm, splitting the air with a crack that rattled bones. The blow staggered the aberration for a moment, leaving thin, glowing burns along its skin.
But the aberration didn't seem to notice the pain. While his tendrils were keeping the team busy, the antlers on its head glowed with silver starlight.
Starlight gathered around the antlers, forming an orange-sized ball of starlight energy.
While it was small, it contained terrifying heat as if there was a mini star on earth at the moment.
"Oh no", Tyrel said
Tyrel didn't even wait to see if the attack had already been fired; he jumped out of the way without looking.
Good thing he did because a few moments later, a beam of starlight was fired, making the house that was previously behind Tyrel be blown into smithereens.
Seeing that Tyrel had managed to block its attack, the aberration became angered. Tyrel just smirked as he saw this, his eyes narrowed.
He dropped low, pressing one hand into the wet ground. Golden sparks jumped instantly, racing outward in branching patterns like silver roots. The water around him became a conductor, every droplet trembling with energy.
"Dare!" Tyrel barked. "Push it toward me!"
The spider drones fired a coordinated volley, driving the monster backwards. It stepped into the shallow water without noticing.
Tyrel clenched his fist.
The puddle erupted in light. Golden lightning surged upward from beneath the aberration, wrapping its entire frame in a cage of blinding golden fire. The smell of ozone and burning flesh filled the air, and the beast's roar cut through the night like a tearing sky.
It tried to pull free, but Tyrel was already moving. He sprinted forward, the current leaping ahead of him. Each step sent another bolt into the beast, its body jerking violently as the electricity tore through it.
"Valeria! Now!" he shouted.
She dove in, her blades finding the cracks in its hide, guided by the light of Tyrel's storm. Amara's shadows wrapped around its legs, pinning it just long enough for another surge to rip through its chest.
The monster collapsed to one knee, steam pouring from its wounds.
Tyrel staggered, sweat dripping down his face, lightning still clinging to his arms like a second skin. "Not… done yet," he muttered, charging another strike.
But the aberration's face locked on him, pure hatred glowing silver.
It lunged.