"I managed to decrease the intensity of the dark energy, especially the dark energy from the Obsidius. The equilibrium council will take over to cleanse the remaining," I reported to Alpha while stirring my cup of tea.
"That's wonderful, how about Obsidius?" Alpha questioned.
"Forgive me that I failed. I will accept any punishment you will bestow on me," I immediately bow down and kneel in front of her. She knew about it, she knew how I let go of that mission yet abandoning my mission is still unacceptable in any situation.
It wasn't surprising that she tapped my shoulders. "It's okay, I understand. Bringing Blake to us is also as important as your mission." I looked up to her and I saw her genuine smile. Despite that scary and intimidating slit eye pupils, her stares remained soothing.
"To compensate for that, let me handle the training of Blake," I suggested, shifting my gaze to Blake who was laughing with Tellus.
Aerona leaned her back, looking quite serious. "How about your next missions? You cannot focus on Blake's training, we also need your help. The Abyssal Orders and Shadow Courts are getting aggressive and doing their moves."
I suddenly shift my gaze at Aerona. That question made me back into the reality of my role as a Beta.
Aerona sighed. "They are making their moves now. Yesterday, I encountered Verminous who brings unknown diseases to a few of the tribes of the Ignis."
I blinked repeatedly. "How do they manage to enter the vicinity of Ignis?" The vicinity of each region is tightly secured, no one from the Erebos can easily penetrate as doing so can take their life.
"I wonder how they get the information that the fire stone is gone. They knew that the protective barrier of Ignis decreased," Alpha seriously explained in a moderate tone while having a serious facial expression.
"What happened to those tribes?" I asked nervously. If it is done by the Verminous then we do not have any cure for that.
Alpha looked away, Aerona looked down. They both tried to avoid making eye contact with me.
"A-almost 30% of the affected… d-died," Aerona said in a low voice, cracking between words. "It's my fault, I was late… I can save many of them… if I arrive early," she added between sobs, trembling and suppressing her cries.
I know her, despite those rough attitudes she has, she took her missions seriously. She's definitely blaming herself because she's never late in any missions and she hates being late. That is the first time she got late.
I wonder why… but maybe they took a lot of missions as they are only two taking up the responsibilities of a Beta. I felt guilty about it.
I let her cry on my shoulder. Tellus and Blake came closer to us when they saw Aerona crying. We remained silent for minutes until Alpha suddenly stood up and made us look at her while she was looking at the entrance of the sacred garden. "He's here," she said without looking at us.
He?
We did not ask who it was but the Alpha's aura intensified and was intimidating. Aerona stopped crying and prepared herself.
I got stunned and widened my eyes when I saw who it was. My muscles get tense and my breathing gets shallow. I never thought that they would meet so soon.
"Valen…" I murmured, getting nervous because his aura is so tense, he's looking at us as if we are his enemies. I can feel his rage but that rage intensifies when he looks at Blake.
Oh no.
I suddenly grab Blake's hand, putting him in my back and protecting him from those deadly stares from Valen. I promised to protect him and I will protect him, even though it means to go against Valen, who was my long time friend and one of the most important people in my life.
Valen looked confused as he saw what I did, his forehead started to draw lines between his eyebrows.
"Stop, Valen," Alpha commanded Valen, imposing her authority to him while directly staring at his darkened eyes.
"The fire stone is mine and I will take it," Valen said in a deep, serious voice, shifting his gaze towards Alpha.
"In what way?" Alpha asked him directly.
Valen tilted his head and he repeatedly blinked. "You said there is only one way to take it to him… and that is to kill him," he stated in a cold tone, without any remorse and emotions.
Alpha walked in front of him, holding her head up. "You are not allowed to kill him," she confidently commanded him, standing tall and directly looking at his eyes.
Valen contests with Alpha's intimidating gazes, not backing out. Looking at him, I knew he would not take back his words.
"Stop this, Valen," Aerona calmly asked.
"Do you want to be remembered as someone who killed an innocent?" Tellus asked, hoping that Valen will come to his senses once he heard that question.
"SHUT UP!" Valen shouted, tightening his jaws and clenching his fist. Alpha did not budge in his shout and remain in her position in front of Valen.
Valen moved back and in just a matter of seconds, the ground in our surroundings began to melt, creating a magma. The surroundings are getting hot and the plants in the sacred garden began to ignite and cause flames.
"Valen please," I pleaded, making it rain to avoid the fire getting huge. Tellus, on the other hand, is fighting and hardening the ground to suppress Valen in totally destroying and creating a magma floor.
In just a few minutes, the surroundings of the pavilion are too messed up. The garden, once blooming and full of life, became full of fire.
It continued to rain, trying to put down the flames ignited by the magma. Tellus and Valen's battle intensified. Valen gives all his energy, while Tellus holds back.
I can feel the hesitation of Tellus. He is having a hard time. We can easily suppress and defeat Valen as the core elemental stones are much more powerful than sub-core elemental stones. However, it is Valen, our long time friend.
We were in a combination of being drenched and heated. Thankfully, Aerona helped us to cool down using her air.
"I am commanding you to stop this now, Valen Ember!" Alpha commanded, holding his head up and imposing her intimidating aura and authority to him.
Valen just looked at her and did not stop.
My eyes widened when a small magma ball was continuously thrown directly to Blake making him groan and shouts in pain. "Blake!" I shouted, trying to deflect the balls with my waters that caused it to become a solid rock.
His skin is scorched caused by the magma splashes and the magma balls that hit him. His soft and flawless skin had burns. His eyes became watery yet he is tightening his muscles to remain standing, fighting all the pain.
The magma balls decrease their intensity and numbers but huge magma balls appear. I tried to deflect it but I couldn't, it was too huge to deflect using water. It becomes a solid ball yet too big to deflect.
The huge magma balls are almost near, losing options and ideas, I drag Blake to escape those balls but I couldn't. His shoes were stuck to the ground.
I remained calm, continuing to think of any possible escape.
"Blake, take off your shoes," I quickly said. I do not have any other options, a burn scar in his feet is better than being squashed by those huge balls.
We managed to get away… but Blake loses his balance because of the hit he can feel being barefoot.
Looking at him, he looks so hopeless with his body full of burn and his clothes being torn and burned. His skin got too many scars, some of it were still bleeding. His breathing became shallow as if he was running out of breath.
His body totally gave up, he passed out. My eyes widened, my heart beat got faster, and my breathing got swallowed.
Running out of ideas, panicking, and getting scared that Blake might die. I summoned my aquamarine trident, it is shimmering in blue color, its three prongs are sharp and crystallized in blue light, and it has elegant carvings of water waves.
Without thinking anything further, I pointed the prongs to Valen. "Hydro Blast!" I commanded, releasing a blast of aggressive water towards Valen, causing him to be thrown away.
"Valen!!" Tellus and Aerona shouted when they saw Valen get thrown away by the water. Aerona uses her power and becomes a wind to support Valen's fall while Tellus focuses on solidifying the magma.
My eyes widened upon realizing what happened, I wanted to go to Valen but I was holding the unconscious Blake. What did I do? Valen passed out from the impact.
The sacred garden remained a mess even though Tellus managed to solidify the magma created by Valen. Blake and Valen remain unconscious as they are laying in a bed created by Tellus.
I managed to heal the burnt skin of Blake while I heal the wound of Valen caused by my power.
"Why did you do that?" Tellus calmly asked me.
"I'm sorry, my mind went blank," I explained in a low voice, sounding so sorry for what I did.
They sighed, staring at the two unconscious. In a few minutes, Valen opened his eyes.
"Valen…" I tried to speak to him. He looked at me with disbelief and he stood up and walked away but after a few steps. "I cannot believe all of you," he said, sounding so cold.
We watched him leave the sacred chamber, not doing anything or saying anything to stop him. All of us were tired, exhausted physically and mentally.
However, later on we regret not stopping him that time as an Epsilon reported something shocking. Something we would never expect.
Valen ran away and joined the Erebos.