The wind was a razor across the high plains of the Northern Reach. It tore at Raiden Maru’s cloak, whipping strands of dark hair across his face as he crouched low behind a granite outcrop, scanning the desolate landscape. Below him, a valley carved by ancient glaciers snaked through the foothills of the Dragon's Tooth mountains, their peaks perpetually capped in white, even under the pale spring sun. This was the ragged edge of the Kingdom of Helios, the northernmost territory sworn under his father’s protection, and consequently, Raiden’s proving ground.
Sixteen years old, and already a Rank 3 Physical Core User. It was a feat that earned nods of grudging respect even from seasoned warriors in his father’s Citadel. Three cores pulsed subtly beneath his skin, absorbed over years of relentless training and the careful expenditure of his father’s resources: one enhancing the strength in his limbs until he could shatter rock with a focused blow, another granting him the speed to blur across short distances, and the third sharpening his senses, allowing him to pick out the track of a snow lynx hours old, or hear the rustle of prey feathers on the biting wind. High potential, they called him. Destined for Lord rank by thirty, a true powerhouse among those unblessed by the elements.
Unblessed. The word echoed sometimes, a bitter counterpoint to the pride he felt in his physical achievements. His father, Raylock Maru, Lord General of the Northern Marches, wielder of storm and gale, a Rank 7 Crystal Core Lord whose name commanded fear and respect across Helios and beyond. A legend forged in the brutal border wars against Crystal Beast incursions and rival clans. Raylock possessed the rare gift of dual affinity, Wind and Thunder crackling at his command. Raiden had inherited none of it. Born with no spark, no connection to the elemental energies that defined the true elite of Ashuran. Yet, his father had never shown disappointment, only a fierce, protective love and an unwavering belief in Raiden’s own path. "Strength finds many forms, son," he'd often say, his voice rough but warm. "Forge yours until it rivals the storm."
And Raiden trained. He pushed his body past limits that would break others, absorbed core after core, honed his skills with blade and fist, learned the land until it felt like an extension of his own senses. This solo scouting mission was both training and trust, a chance to patrol the borders, map any new Crystal Beast movements, and prove his capability far from the Citadel's watchful eyes.
He scanned the valley again. Tracks, yes – a pack of Ripper Hounds, Rank 2 beasts known for their ferocity, had passed through maybe half a day ago, heading west. Nothing unexpected. The region was relatively stable, the major threats pushed back generations ago, though complacency was a luxury the North never afforded. The wind carried the scent of pine, cold stone, and distant snowmelt. Routine.
Then, a low rumble shivered through the granite beneath his boots. Not thunder – the sky was clear, a vast, indifferent blue. Not an avalanche – the sound was too deep, too rhythmic, too… violent.
Raiden froze, every enhanced sense straining. He drew the short, heavy blade strapped to his back – cold iron, practical, reliable. The rumbling intensified, no longer just felt but heard, a deep, guttural roar that resonated in his bones, followed by a sound like mountains grinding together. It came from the north-east, deeper into the untamed peaks beyond his father's acknowledged territory.
Another roar answered the first, higher pitched but no less powerful, ending in a shriek that seemed to tear the air itself. The ground trembled again, more violently this time. Loose scree skittered down the slope near him. This wasn't a simple beast fight. The sheer power radiating from the source, even miles away, was staggering. It felt like the clash of primal forces, magnitudes beyond anything he had ever encountered. Instinct, honed by countless drills and his own sharpened senses, screamed danger. Curiosity, however, was a powerful current, pulling him towards the impossible sound. Legendary rank? Could it be? Creatures of that level rarely clashed, their power shaping the very landscape around them. To witness such a thing…
He hesitated only a moment longer, the scout's duty warring with self-preservation. Then, making a decision that might reshape his young life, Raiden began to move, not back towards safety, but cautiously, silently, towards the earth-shattering cacophony echoing from the forbidden peaks.
Moving with the silence of a hunter born to the harsh northern lands, Raiden navigated the treacherous terrain, scaling ridges and weaving through shadowed ravines. The cacophony grew louder, the very air vibrating with unleashed power. He climbed the flank of a high, windswept tor, its peak offering a panoramic view of the basin beyond. Pulling himself onto the final ledge, careful to keep his profile low against the jagged rocks, he peered over. What he saw punched the air from his lungs, freezing him in place, colder than the biting wind.
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There, suspended above the valley floor like a fresh wound in the fabric of reality, pulsed a vortex of swirling, chaotic energy. It was smaller than the legends described, angrier, less defined, but unmistakably a portal – the same kind his history tutors swore had closed forever, sealed after the Great Scourge War. Its edges spat crimson and violet sparks, casting the already strange landscape in an even more unholy light.
And before this impossible tear in the world, two colossal beings were locked in a battle that defied comprehension. One was a creature of nightmare, seemingly sculpted from solidified shadow and malice. Its form shifted, unstable, sometimes vaguely draconic, sometimes a churning mass of barbed tentacles and too many eyes, all burning with a cold, dark fire. Tendrils of pure black energy lashed out from it, draining the very colour from the rock they struck, leaving behind patches of grey, dead stone. The air around it felt heavy, oppressive, thick with an energy Raiden had never encountered – it wasn't merely the absence of light, but an active, devouring darkness. Could this be Dark affinity? he wondered, a thrill of terror mixing with awe. Or something worse? Something… final? Like Death itself?
Its opponent was a stark contrast, a magnificent beast that seemed woven from the very elements of Ashuran. Its form was more stable, vaguely avian, with vast wings that shimmered through every colour of a known Beast Core, and more besides. Light refracted around it, creating dazzling, shifting rainbows. It met the shadow creature's assaults with staggering displays of elemental mastery. A wave of crushing darkness was met by a spontaneous eruption of granite spikes from the earth (Yellow!). Searing bolts of negative energy were deflected by shields of roaring wind (Green!) or quenched by summoned walls of torrential water (Blue!). When the shadow lunged, the rainbow beast retaliated with blasts of concentrated fire hot enough to melt stone (Red!) and arcing chains of brilliant lightning that cracked louder than any storm Raiden had ever heard (Dark Blue!). It fluidly commanded all five primary elements, wielding them with a power and synergy that spoke of mastery far beyond even a Rank 10 Crystal Core God. This wasn't just using elements; this was being the elements.
The valley floor was a ruin. Craters smoked where fire had struck, bizarre pillars of ice stood beside pools of boiling water, the ground was rent and torn by earth-shattering impacts and strokes of lightning. The sheer collateral energy release had scoured the area clean of any lesser life; even the hardy mountain pines nearby were snapped and burning. All other beasts, even formidable Rank 4 or 5 predators that might normally claim this territory, had long since fled the overwhelming pressure radiated by the combatants. Raiden, hidden miles away, felt like a microbe observing battling titans. His Rank 3 enhanced senses were almost overloaded by the sheer scale of the power display. His own strength felt utterly insignificant, a dried leaf in a hurricane.
It became clear the shadow creature was the aggressor, relentlessly pressing the attack, while the rainbow beast, despite its incredible power, seemed focused on driving the other back, perhaps towards the unstable portal it had seemingly pursued it through. The dark entity shrieked, a sound that clawed at Raiden's mind, and gathered its power. The shadows around it coalesced, deepening into an absolute void that seemed to drink the very light from the sky. It formed into a focused beam, thicker than any tree trunk, radiating an aura of utter annihilation, and lanced towards the rainbow creature.
The elemental beast roared, a sound of defiance and pain, attempting to erect a multi-layered barrier of wind, water, and earth. But the beam of darkness tore through them like paper. It struck the creature's flank, and a horrifying wave of decay spread visibly across its luminous form. Feathers turned to ash, light dimmed, and a terrible cry echoed through the mountains. It was a mortal blow.
Yet, even as it crumpled, reeling from the impact, the rainbow creature gathered its remaining energy. All the colours of its form converged into a single point of blinding, pure white light at its core. With its last breath, it unleashed this energy – not as a beam, but as an omnidirectional pulse, an explosion of raw, purifying power that washed over the valley.
The dark creature, caught unprepared in its moment of triumph, shrieked as the light hit it. Its shadowy form seemed to boil, to unravel, dissolving like smoke in a harsh wind. Within seconds, it was gone, utterly annihilated, leaving only a lingering scent of ozone and void.
Silence crashed down, heavy and absolute, broken only by the whistling wind and the pained, ragged breathing of the victor. The rainbow creature lay crumpled on the scarred earth, its light fading rapidly, the grievous wound from the dark beam pulsing weakly. Its life force was draining away, visible even from Raiden's distance.
Then, impossibly, amidst the ruin and its own dying throes, the great beast's head lifted fractionally. Its eyes, now dimming pools of fading twilight, slowly scanned the landscape, coming to rest directly on the rocky outcrop where Raiden lay hidden. It saw him. The last living witness to its cosmic battle, noticed in its final moments.
Late Afternoon, 15/04/3150 AE (Approximately 150 years after the last portal closed)
