The Primordials: Retribution (Book Four)

 The building shook terribly as we were blinded by a searing heat and light that shined from the basement staircase. I had my hands raised as I held up multiple shields in defense.

 "What the hell was that?" Za'Fia asked as the violent shaking came to a stop.

 "A bomb," Tymon answered grimly.

 "The people that were outside!" Naomi said as she dashed upstairs.

 "They're fine," I stated as the rest followed her. I quickly gave the four unconscious some of my energy and took some of theirs, then linked their wrists with suppression cuffs that connected a bolted-down piece of the floor.

 The room's practically indestructible, so it should hold them, I thought as I ran upstairs. When I got outside, I saw the landscape was destroyed. Everything for at least a mile was gone. The green grass of the hillside was black as some of the ground still smoldered in heat, and smoke rose into the air. We might as well have been hit with a mini-nuke.

 Luckily, I had been fast enough to raise a shield around the core of the manor and another around everyone who stood outside its gates at the last second. The manor was still standing mostly; there was some damage from the impact, but it could be rebuilt. More importantly, the humans at the gates were unscathed but were now quieter than before and looked around in utter disbelief. They began to cheer when they saw they were alive because of us. Notably, though, I couldn't see any of the Church of Light members there anymore. I wondered if they went back home.

 I looked at Tymon.

 "You said something about a bomb..."

 "Yeah," Tymon said before telling us about what he saw at Avarice's Base D and then what he saw beneath Avarice's lab while they fought. He then opened a shadow path for us to step through, leading to a location near the lab.

 "Oh God," I muttered as we emerged on the other side. Surrounding Avarice's demolished lab were tubes that protruded from the ground, but the lab itself was raised to the point where we could see a storage of bombs in a clear carcass beneath it.

 "Where are those about to be fired?" I asked, horrified. Unlike the one fired at Michael's manor, each of these bombs had enough energy packed into them to wipe a large city off the face of the Earth.

 Michael suddenly blurred back to the rest of us. I hadn't even noticed he'd gone inside.

 "The control panels below indicate dozens of locations across the globe," he informed us. "There's a timer on the screen set to go off in less than ten minutes. I imagine that's when they'll be fired."

 "Can't we drop it in a volcano or something?" Za'Fia asked.

 "I could try shadow traveling it to the underwater cave," Tymon suggested.

 "Or bury it deep underground," Arne commented.

 "Freeze it maybe?" Naomi volunteered. "Maybe that'll stop it from working."

 "I doubt there's enough time for any of that," Damien stated.

 "He's right, and I don't wanna think about how massive the explosion would be if it all detonated at once," I said as my mind raced. Left with no better ideas and a very small window, I suddenly transformed into my evolved state, enveloped the building with my spatial energy, and started lifting it off the ground.

 God, it's heavy... I thought as I strained myself to will it higher into the sky while flying overhead.

 You intend to take it into space? Viraa asked her tone not at all surprised.

 Yeah, please tell me we can survive in space the same way we can underwater.

 Rest assured, your body will function the same way as it does underwater, and the cold should not affect you either.

 "Great," I said as I rocketed skyward with over 150,000 tons in tow. As I neared the edge of Earth's atmosphere, the sky darkened into a black, cloudless void filled with more stars than I'd ever seen before. My body was hit with a chill that I could feel but wasn't bothered by as my lungs automatically stopped functioning and I could feel my spirit energy start churning within my slowed heart. I could feel the difference as my body became restricted—my strength and speed cut.

 Keeping in mind that I was almost out of time, I continued flying away from Earth, ignoring the accompanying fear of being alone off the planet for the first time. It was surprisingly easier to fly as I continued. Once I was hundreds of miles away, I used as much of my willpower as I could muster to use my energy to throw the cluster of bombs as far away from Earth as I could. Not ten seconds later, I saw it explode in a ginormous cloud of gold and violet particles.

 Thankfully, the explosion was a safe distance away. However, some of its force still reached where I was. I raised another stasis field for protection as I was pushed back hundreds of miles until I was near Earth again.

 To think the force of its edges were that strong, I commented.

 You were wise to bring it out here, Viraa commended. An explosion that vast certainly would have devastated the humans.

 Yeah, I'm glad this was an option, I remarked as I floated there. In the distance I could see a nearby satellite closer to Earth. When I took in the view of our planet, I was amazed at what it looked like. It was beautiful in all its glory. Seeing it in person was nothing like the pictures.

 So, this is space, I commented as I turned to look at the starry horizon. I let it sink in that I was literally floating in freaking space!

 Indeed, what was once an unexplorable domain is now at the tips of your fingers, Viraa said as I sensed Tymon and Michael approaching. They must've came to check on things. The three of us floated there, looking at the outstretched universe before us.

 I wonder what's out there, Michael voiced almost in awe.

 Things much grander than your limited experiences on Earth, Viraa stated. Her tone was foreboding and cryptic as usual. It would feel like living an entirely different life.

 I wouldn't mind traveling to find new experiences, Michael said as he gazed out.

 Yeah, maybe even travel to Cindar, I concurred.

 That would be quite the lengthy voyage, Viraa chuckled amused.

 For now, we've got four problems on Earth to deal with, Tymon stated, turning back before he shot off toward Earth in a black streak. Michael and I took another look at the stars before turning back too. Once we figured things out with Avarice and his troublesome family, I promised myself I'd definitely go back to take in the scenery again. Maybe I'd even go relax on the moon.

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Fun fact: Now that Alissia has taken that step into the beyond, she's excited to see what other possibilities are out there. She could go to the moon, or visit Mars! Wait, what about Earth? Would she be gone for too long? Exactly how fast could she fly in space. She did notice no resistance as she flew just now...Michael seems to share the same enthusiasm. Maybe they'll go together.

Note from OtherWorldsJT: Two more chapters left before we conclude the first saga of an epic adventure!

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