Steel and Mana

"They are passing the fourth layer in sixty seconds," Seltana's voice called over the channel.

"Confirmed," Merlin answered, "All artillery: stand by. They need to get closer so the General can exert his control over one of them. The range of the mech is shorter than the artillery..."

While they were talking, Lucca barely heard them. His eyes tracked the central creature, the largest of the three, as if he was floating close by, watching them approach the Pride. They were all, once again, at least thirty meters in height, the only difference being that two of them were four-legged... while the middle one was the only one that walked on two legs.

That's why he chose that one as his target. Taking over one with four legs could be... even more difficult. It was best if he tried his hand at something more... similar. The moment he thought of that, the magic of the Prydwen reacted, and something vast and heavy pushed back through the magical channel he opened. If the Sovereign were to ask what he would call it, he wouldn't name it hunger... It was raw, unshaped, wanting, a desire from the belly of the beast. As for what, really? For Lucca, it was much more murky. He couldn't really tell, but he knew that it wanted to consume.

"If I don't know any better," he muttered to himself, "I would think that you reincarnated as a beast... Master..." Then, unseen by anyone, his lips curled into a smile, "I dreamed of doing something like this in the past, even if I knew it was not possible, not with your imprint on us, binding our free will to yours... But now..."

For an instant, he was back in that other life, before he was made to sleep for centuries. He could feel the cold marble floor of the Ishillian palace, which was just like the snow below the monster's legs. He remembered standing in line with his brothers, chosen to be disciples of the great Emperor of Ishillia himself! It was a gift, but then later it turned out to be a poison wrapped in gold. When Lucca realized that their connection to the Emperor was not for safety and not for instant communication, but to link their lives to his, he understood the implications at once. They were to be consumed when they were 'fattened' enough! It was a moment that almost broke him. But he pulled through... so the sensation coming from the beast was something he welcomed... because this time, he could reverse it!

"Mhm," Lucca smiled grimly. "I know this song," he whispered, "And I've already danced to it. Let's change the tune then!"

He pushed back at once, and when he did, the Prydwen's core flared with his magic as the blood inside the cannisters on the machine's back began almost bubbling, their flow increasing threefold. It took only a second for the two minds to clash, and it was evident at once that Lucca's was going to win. His resolve, his drive and pride, his own ego were greater than the beast's, which was mostly already eroded away by its hunger and desire mixing together. The moment their tug-of-war tipped over the middle point, Lucca felt its pulse falter. A chink in its armor... and he exploited it without hesitation... Snap... And he was inside its senses by the next moment. Everything the beast felt, he felt too, whether it was the cold, the wind, or the drag of its own immense weight, while he saw the Pride with its alien eyes and smelled the nasty breath coming out of its mouth.

"You are mine..." Lucca whispered, ordering it to slow down.

The creature staggered mid-charge, head jerking as if it had been struck. The other two veered instinctively, uncertain of what was happening, as they watched the one in the middle steer towards the right, leaving them behind. Then, almost immediately, from the Pride, the artillery batteries fired in sequence, streaks of fire spells flying in low arcs. Being this close to the Pride, there was no time for them to react, already distracted by the sudden change... Before any of their pitiful minds could comprehend what was happening, they were bathed in fire, torn to shreds, leaving behind nothing but mangled corpses, twitching in the snow, freezing over the moment the firestorm had stopped raining on them.

Seeing that one of the beasts was acting strangely, to Lucca's luck, Seltana was already prepared, knowing it had to be the one the General took over, ordering the artillerymen not to target it. And she was right, of course. Inside the cockpit, Lucca was sweating and trembling, fighting to keep the beast under control and doing his best not only to erode its instincts but also to implant thoughts and orders into its primitive senses. The feedback from it was almost unbearable, primarily due to the overlapping intentions from both his body, feeling the depleting stamina and mana he had, and on top of it, the echo of the beast's heartbeat inside his skull, now pounding in his own head. Half of his vision swam between his human perspective and the beast's own, making it increasingly difficult to determine which was the original as he pushed himself deeper into it to control its being. But he was so close to it... To what he wanted to do to Pascal... To break the bastard! So, with that in mind, he steeled himself as he guided the creature closer and closer to the Pride, continuously rewriting everything about it. Of course, the beast had no other choice, and it obeyed everything. Then, when it reached the base of the Pride's wall, it stopped dead in its tracks, its massive chest heaving, just as Lucca's was inside the Prydwen's cockpit.

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When the beast finally stopped and stood still, Lucca disconnected from it, severing the magical connection between them. The Prydwen's systems powered down almost instantly, and an incredible headache hit him at once, causing Lucca to involuntarily groan and vomit into his own lap, as if he was doing it both because of the insane amount of vertigo he was feeling and from sheer nerves. But even then... before falling unconscious... he felt satisfied. He felt as if he had finally given Pascal what he deserved... a dream he hadn't told anyone. Ever... His own little revenge.

...
....

Minutes passed since Luca went unresponsive, yet the beast didn't even move. It just... stood there, breathing, gaze empty, standing there like a statue, a mix between a Tyrannosaurus and Godzilla. A bit later, while I was ordering the crew to scan for follow-up attacks, Mikan and Pion reached the Prydwen, opened it, and lifted Lucca out of the cockpit. As Mikan later reported, he was way out of it, worse than I was, but... with her being there, he should be fine. On the other hand... now we had a situation.

I didn't expect to have a beast offered to me like this...

"Leon," Merlin said quietly into the comm, being one of the others now down on the wall, looking at the beast standing before it. "I think he broke something fundamental within the beast. Either in its mind or in its core. Or both."

"You mean it's dead?" I asked, "I can see mist coming from its nostrils and half-open mouth. It's breathing."

"Well, yeah, it does... function. I think... It's… waiting. For orders."

"I hope you don't want to tell me... that you want to bring it... past the walls, do you?" I moaned, rubbing my temple.

"Um... no, I'm not."

"Liar." I grunted, chuckling, "Okay... For now, make sure that two mechs are constantly looking over it. The moment it moves without our order, cut it down!"

"Leon," He continued, and I could hear him salivating, "This is big... I can study this... I can study this a lot!"

"Okay, okay, wipe your mouth, Doctor Frankeinstein!" I laughed, "First, let's wait until Lucca wakes up, and we know what the hell has happened... Don't go and climb into its mouth like you are a Vasa, okay? I don't need extra drama..."

...
....
......

The heat was unbearable, even for a Vasa... Somehow, unlike ever before, the lava below Zah'Ratil shimmered, rolled like how the ocean licks the coastline at the Sar Empire's shores. Troubled, Zah'Ratil sat cross-legged in the air, the crimson light coming from below reflecting back from his red hair.

But... at least, for the first time in weeks, Ignis Primordia was quiet again...

Opening his eyes, his vision swam from the heat, and he almost coughed up a little bit of blood, pushing it down just in time. Floating back towards the edge, he lowered himself, letting his boots find the smooth basalt that circled the pit, stabilizing himself with his arms while his knees wavered. He had been suspended there for too many days, feeding the barrier with his own blood and will, pushing down the ancient beast's consciousness, trying to force it into a deep sleep.

"Sect Master," came a voice from the shadows, making him turn towards the noise, straightening himself.

It was Elder Sa'Ith, her scales covering her neck and creeping up her face, dulled from the days they had to spend without any rest. She was helping him contain the barrier along with five others who were also ascending via the spiraling walkway, just behind the woman. Each of them carried the same exhaustion as Sa'Ith, but none had dared speak until Zah'Ratil turned toward them.

"It is done for now," the Sect Master said, his voice rough and weak, "For now it sleeps..."

"The pulse has changed," Elder Khe'Rin spoke up, bowing his head while his amber eyes flicked toward the pit, grimacing. "All of us felt it, Sect Master. At first, we thought she was calming… but it's different... Ignis didn't go to sleep because she listened to us..."

"I know." Zah'Ratil's reply was a whisper, closing his eyes. "Because this isn't rest."

He stepped closer to the lip of the volcano again, peering into the molten lava pit. There, he could see a slow spiral begin to form, a kind of vortex, subtle, but it was there... From it, the lava sank inward as if being drawn by something vast beneath it, because it was precisely what was happening.

"She is eating," Zah'Ratil groaned. "Eating while sleeping... and thinking."

"..." The elders exchanged uneasy looks. "Thinking?" Sa'Ith repeated, her voice shaken to her core. "You mean—"

"I mean exactly that," Zah'Ratil cut her off softly. "I can no longer read her impulses. It's as though they've merged into a single, cohesive pattern... It has elevated its own mind, once more... It evolved."

They stood together on the basalt ledge, staring down into the glow. Despite being among the strongest members of the surviving Vasas, they all felt a kind of terror in their hearts, similar to what their ancestors felt when first realizing what they had created.

"She's ready to break out," Sa'Ith said at last, "That's why it went to rest... This is just the final preparation."

"She will not stop next time, not until she breaks the barrier." Zah'Ratil turned toward them, his expression calm, almost serene in its certainty, accepting their fate. "She will break us, and then the world."

They bowed their heads, each one of them feeling the same slow, creeping realization... they had run out of time.

"Begin preparations," Zah'Ratil ordered, making the elders flinch. "Gather every warrior we have, no matter their strength! And send word to Ur'Tokh. They are to gather every soul within the mountain and prepare them for the journey!"

"Journey?" They all asked, looking at him, surprised.

"We are out of time, but not out of hope. Even if Ignis breaks free, we will have time to... act. Bring everyone to the Savior's parent... to that... Sovereign. Ask for sanctuary."

"As if he will provide it..." Sa'Ith said, grimacing.

"You will be surprised," Zah'Ratil smiled, looking back towards the lava, "You too... leave... I'll stay and overlook Ignis until she wakes again."

"Sect Master!" They spoke up at once, but he shook his head.

"Go. Our only hope is our Savior. Even if Ignis goes free... He will be able to tame the beast... Just," He looked at them, smiling, "Make sure he survives. No matter what. From here, I can contact him, continue our lessons... this is the only way. For all of us..."