Dark Crow Rising

"SOMEONE GET ME BACK IN TOUCH WITH THE DARK CROW!" I demand, with every drop of air I can call upon. Heaving with boiling blood, I snap my focus back to the sight of Atarifuge. The rampage it was on stopped and now it's waiting, standing. It leans forward past and over Segaansallis' head and squeezes.

My heart stops at the crumbling sight and I look back towards the two cities. This is it, we're doomed. Our final chance to stop the giant... This was all we had left!

"GRANDGUARD, LOOK!" a man shouts, finger desperately waving towards the finished students. Turning around slowly, my eyes light up with something other than the brightness of the day. Clouds of raw magic are erupting from the destroyed head without end. Waves upon waves of smoke-emulating power.

Then, lift off.

All noise leaves my body and I freeze. Segaansallis head rises higher and higher, a blade of fine magic fire leaving a fuelling speck. Nin!? Nin is-

The Sword-Faced Giant's head bursts through Atarifuge, running it through! The rest of the head catches on the giant's torso and it too, begins to fly. Winds become visible, throwing up all manner of debris up the mountain. Almost falling back, I shield my face and peek through open fingers.

Atarifuge is rising, it is rising with a sword in its belly!

"Do it... Do it! DO IT!" I cry, crawling back to my feet as the pair ascend. A tower of magic reaches all the way back down to the earth and a sword falls tip first. It stabs into the desert and the sky shadows the flailing giant. The closer they reach the limits of the sky, the clearer it becomes.

All the clouds retreat, clearing the entire country of any forecast. The giant's body begins to tilt, and the power dampens. Still alive, the giant continues to claw away at the base of its wound. It manages to flick something, no, a person away and the magic trails after it.

The Dark Crow throws out two gripping spells and catches the upright fiend. Igniting once again, the Dark Crow rams right into the wound and the pair soar again. The shockwave bursts out, a dish that keeps growing and growing. It hits the land, splitting it in two for as wide as the horizon is endless.

This mountain quakes, all mountains quake and I fall. Men and women scream behind me and Thrurstradtur buckles and groans at the unnatural force. Drawing my sword, I smother it in dark fire and stab it into the molten rock. Forcing my way back up, I watch Nin's light engulfed form grow increasingly distant.

Atarifuge claws for the source!

"Do it, please. Please, Nin, make this nightmare end!" I tearfully beg as my instincts beg me to run from this dangerous land. Nearly everyone else has already begun to flee. Even the airships are not safe and their engines burn with every bit of fuel they can find to stay stable. But, I will not go, I will not leave.

I will see Atarifuge fall! Fall damn you, fall!

The colossal menace begins to bend over in the air, and all that force aims down. A moment of quiet and dimness overtakes the display and the magic shrinks to a pinpoint. It shines with a star of twirling tails and bursts to life excitedly. A mountain of erupting magic.

Some kind of blow...!?

Another shockwave races towards us, one that decapitates the mountains so close to Atarifuge. Freezing up at the wave and power, I realise another great being's presence. The Prince steps closer, sword drawn to the left of his face and glowing along a fine line. He breathes once and twists wide.

He slices the seismic blast apart and slides his sword back into its sheath, his posture straight. The dissipated power is still so great, however. The valley below the interception point rises up in a pair of earthy waves of rocks, trees, and dirt. As the final curtain opens up, I stare out at what remains of the former Dual-Republic.

In the long off distance, a body of a scale simply incomprehensible to anything else. And it rests on a ruined mountain range. Fighting back the shakes assailing me still, I stand upright and put my magic into my eyes. My vision clears up over the distance, and I choke on my next breath.

It's real... Atarifuge rests on the debris of mountains, not sand. It's defeated. Nin won...

He won!

"Air- Air!" I struggle to get out. Such a simple word as 'airship' escaping my tongue.

Panicking around, I rush back to the ruined machines and scramble through them. Picking apart the broken ones, I find a communicator and put it on. I drop it and do the process again and flick it on. Impatiently waiting, I knock on a broken computer repeatedly.

"H-H-H-H- He- Hello!?" a man calls through, his voice finally stabilising in the static.

"WHO'S THERE!?" I scream.

"State-Guardsma-"

"I DON'T WANT YOU! AH-Ahem, sorry. Give me a situation report." I request, clutching the small, thin device tightly. My grip flexes about and I can hear the background noise of many students.

"Our exit is sealed off, some kind of magic coming from a... A woman's amulet," he explains and I know exactly-

"Pass your device to her, now!" I bark, waiting excitedly until the whimpers stop me cold. My mouth lingers open and I gently smack my wavering lips.

"Liadanann?" I ask and her tears come through to me. Somehow, I already know what the answer is.

"He's gone... He... He's gone and I couldn't stop him!" she explains before breaking down completely.

"I... I see... Thank..." I struggle to finish and I throw the device away. Wiping a sleeve across my eyes, I stare at the dark patches of water. I turn to the airships and begin to wave for one. My magic burns ferociously to guide their pilots to me.

I need to get to the giant; I need to see with my own eyes if he's alive. Come on Nin, there's no way you'd be gone that easily. If you can find that kind of power, you have more nestled away, right!? I just need to reach a transport!

"DAMMIT, WILL ONE OF YOU LAND ALREADY!" I roar as an inferno blazes behind me. Swathes of pasture life turn to ash before an airship finally approaches. I give it no time to land and leap for it, tearing off the melting door.

My magic goes cold and I crawl to the cockpit,

"Grandguard Inerish!?" the pilot goes, looking back at me with the rest of his crew.

"TO THAT GIANT, NOW!" I scream against his helmet, my magic in my voice now. The pilot slides the cracked visor up and locks in as my voice rings in his head. His hand grasps the acceleration, and we move forward. Faster, faster!

Faster...

Nin, please. Please be ok, please... I... I need you to know something. I need him to know.

My... My hero. My Dark Crow. Thrurstradtur-Suhurlodst's hero!