Chapter 13 - Chapter 13- Jungles of Planet Astrath

The four of them sprinted through the forest, the thick humidity clinging to Helios's skin, leaving him sticky and drenched in sweat. "We need to reach the ruins before nightfall," Malvek warned, his tone sharp. "This planet may look beautiful during the day, but once the blood moon rises, every monster here grows stronger. We don't want to be caught out in the open when that happens." They leapt into the air, bounding from branch to branch to avoid the twisted roots that choked the forest floor. Suddenly, Shidan skidded to a halt. "Hey, what's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Helios asked. Then he saw it, the breathtaking sight Shidan had frozen for. Below them stretched a world that looked untouched by time: vast forests broken by glimmering rivers, silver waterfalls crashing into hidden valleys, and distant beaches glistening under the fading sun. "Yeah, it's a nice view and all…" Shidan muttered, a crooked grin forming. "But you guys might want to duck." A piercing screech tore through the air as a massive pterosaur-like bird dove from above, its talons flashing like blades. Bow barely ducked in time as the creature's beak nearly clipped his head. Shidan moved in a blur. He twisted his body, thrusting his arm forward with inhuman speed, and rammed his hand straight into the creature's open maw. With a violent jerk, he tore free a length of its bloody intestines as the beast screeched and veered off, still thrashing in the sky. He swung the grisly trophy through the air with a wild grin. "If you don't run fast enough to the ruins," he warned, eyes glinting with sadistic amusement, "I'll lather you in this thing's guts myself." Malvek, Helios, and Bow felt a chill run down their spines before leaping into the massive dome they had just been looking over. "Bow, we need to keep up with Malvek, he's the only one who knows where the ruins are!" Helios shouted. Bow glanced around, panic in his voice. "Wait… where is Malvek?" They spotted him already sprinting down the wall of the dome, moving even faster than they were falling. Before Helios could react, a dust cloud burst above them, and out came Shidan, screaming at the top of his lungs: "HERE I COME!" Both Helios and Bow screamed back as they plummeted. The moment they hit solid ground, they sprinted through the dense jungle, desperately trying to keep up with Malvek. Roots jutted out from the earth, branches whipped against their faces, and they slid beneath fallen trees, barely keeping their balance. Up ahead, a wide river came into view. Bow leaped across effortlessly, landing on the other side with ease. Helios followed, grabbing onto a vine mid-air, SNAP. "…huh?!" The vine tore loose under his weight, and Helios crashed into a massive tree root, the impact knocking the wind out of him. Bow couldn't help but laugh as he kept running. "Smooth move, Helios!" As Helios groaned and tried to push himself up, a shadow loomed over him. Shidan was already there, grinning wickedly. Without hesitation, he wrapped Helios head-to-toe in the bloody intestines he still carried. "Perfect fit!" Shidan cackled before darting off after the others. Helios sat there for a moment, drenched in gore, the stench clinging to him. "...Ew." Grimacing, he tore the slimy entrails off himself and broke into a sprint again, forcing his way through the jungle to catch up. As Helios continued sprinting through the jungle, he finally spotted the ruins. He leapt up onto the moss-covered wall and saw the others already gathered there, preparing dinner. "Well, thanks a whole lot, Shidan," Helios grumbled, brushing dried gore from his clothes. "I smell like rotting flesh now because of you." "HA! My bad, I was just having some fun." Shidan smirked with zero regret. "There's a river nearby. Go wash off. If you follow it down, you'll find spots where the water's dead calm." Helios sighed but did as suggested, wading into the cool water until the stink finally washed away. By the time he returned, Malvek was shouting, "HELIOS! Dinner's ready!" As Helios climbed back up the ruins, something on the wall caught his eye, strange letters etched deep into the stone, glowing faintly under the fading light. "What's up with those weird markings?" Helios asked, running his fingers across the grooves. Bow turned his head, squinting at another cluster of symbols further down the wall. "Huh… I didn't even notice those before. That's kinda weird." "They're old records," Malvek explained, his tone unusually serious. "From what I can make out, they talk about a path to the center of the universe, where they believed the so-called 'All Mighty Creator' resides. It mentions something called the White Room, a place only reachable by gathering mystical tablets scattered across different worlds." Helios tilted his head, intrigued. "The White Room, huh? Guess that's something worth remembering." Then, out of nowhere, the four of them froze. An intense surge of mana pulsed through the air, so thick it almost choked their lungs. Shidan's head snapped upward. "What the hell…?" Without hesitation, he and Malvek scrambled up the nearest tree to get a better view. "Hey, guys," Malvek's voice was sharp, urgent. "We need to leave. NOW." The four bolted, weaving through the dense jungle before scaling another massive tree. From the canopy, they finally saw it, an otherworldly aircraft hovering above the ruins. A lone figure stood atop it, radiating mana so violently the air itself seemed to crackle and warp. The figure raised a single finger. The pressure spiked. "Holy cow…" Bow muttered, his eyes wide. A brilliant beam of light erupted from the stranger's fingertip. It slammed into the ruins where they had camped only minutes ago, detonating in a blinding flash. When the light cleared, a glowing sphere hung in the air, humming with catastrophic energy. "RUN!" Shidan screamed. The sphere pulsed, then expanded. Trees, stone, earth, everything was devoured as it ballooned outward, swallowing miles of jungle in a wave of pure annihilation. The four clung to the treetop as the light rushed closer… then, at last, it stopped. The sphere held, flickered, and slowly faded, leaving behind a hollow wasteland where vibrant life once stood. Helios stared, jaw clenched, as the figure calmly stepped back onto the aircraft. Without a word, it ascended into the clouds and vanished.