Dragon Aster Trilogy

42: NOVA OF DEATH



Kenshe panicked as three griffin somnus came up from the ground they were camouflaged in, and immediately aimed their guns at his given ayame.

The young Caller didn’t have a moment to react to protect herself, as the three bullets struck her in the chest and one in her neck.

Kenshe raced to her, not knowing if she could survive long enough for a Sano to reach her. She had spun back from the attacks and collapsed, but he didn’t feel any pain come from her.

He retaliated against her attackers with a raking of his claws, grabbing the last somnus with his teeth to snap in half. He pounced on her next.

Her phelan form disintegrated, and left her Sylvan body dead before him. It was over before she had felt anything.

“WHAT HAPPENED?”

Kenshe’s head spun in pain from Kas’ psi. They came from the ground—I didn’t see them till it was too late!

A gap in the line now would give their enemy the chance to flank them. But he couldn’t see enough to command his Pack through the Fall’s assault. He gripped his ayame’s arm, praying that there was a miracle he was overlooking.

The massive phelan spirits of the True began to howl in sync, and Kenshe left her with another of the Pack and ran to the nearest clearing. He looked up into the sky as cries that Moon was here were echoed with more howls. The True sounded as if they were calling to a god that had returned. Only this was no cry of madness on their part, as a rush of wind went through the forest. The black creature continued for the front lines where the Custos had trouble taking out the cannons. Explosion after explosion, they were quickly destroyed by the titan, as if mere toys.

“Kenshe.”

Kenshe looked back as Sybl grabbed his breastplate, giving him a good shake back to the present. Then she robbed him of his sword as he completely surrendered to any and all miracles that she might have brought with her.

Sybl used the blade to cut her hand, until her blood covered it. “Pass this to the others and get Feryl to run it through the other Packs. I’ll take over.”

Kenshe shivered. “You can Call? I’ve never heard you sing—”

“Kenshe, who the hell you think invented the Nova? The only reason I don’t sing is because I only know one song.”

Kenshe caught his forehead, trying to process her words, before running back into the woods. It took him a good minute to get his head back on straight, and one of the phelan snapped at him to snap him out of it. He retaliated by slashing his blade across their face.

The phelan snarled back, before the blood on the blade mixed with his own, going straight to his brain. Now he could hear Sybl’s Nova as clearly as Kenshe could. Kenshe did the same with his sword to the other five, and they turned to head back into the fight that had become possible to see through again. He looked for Feryl’s psi then, as Sybl’s Nova sung of one perfect peace.

Death.