The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

With no one to find in the camp, Ming, Xinyi, and the rest went to their respective homes to rest for the night and to replenish their health for another fight in the morning. Xian Lang reminded them not to be complacent, but to be watchful at all times. Thus, they were in their fighting clothes as they lay on their beds to rest, or more like a nap. Half of the Chiangdas stayed behind the trees while half stayed inside the city gate. They had hundreds of watchmen who stood awake and alert for any movements in and outside the Platanna camp and in the cities.

Yet, three hours after, before the moon could even leave the dark skies, a guard shouted outside Ming's room in Anjing Pavilion. "Governor, governor. There is a large army arriving outside the enemies' camp."

In haste, Ming and Xinyi got up and ran out. "Wake the others. Now!" Ming commanded the guards and flew out with Shijian while Xinyi sat on Nianshi's back, who usually slept outside her abode. Lofey, Xian Lang, and Tyriece were awakened soon and rode behind the dragon-formed Meirga.

A minute later, Ming and Xinyi arrived on top of the wall. There, they beheld a thousand or more armies grouped together according to their armor or outfits' color as they entered the partly opened prince's shield. They went in with their feet marching in unison like they were having a parade, displaying their might and splendor. The prince stood in the middle of the empty field to welcome them. There were no longer any tents found, but only the charred grass tinted with dark red. It was the blood spilled a night before.

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The first group to enter wore blue armor. Their custom-made bows were painted in blue as well. Its tips shone as the early sun rose behind the mountains. Xinyi felt the Kreg stone from them. Arrows placed in blue quivers hung behind their backs.

The next group made a refreshing entry with their green and brown suits, as if they were trees walking. They held spears and shields adorned with green jewels and this surprised Xinyi. She knew what it was and actually had a few of these crystals in her domain. The first Sorceress's diary mentioned this type of stone. They could only find it in the depths of the caves because it had one purpose for its existence: to create a violent vibration. A simple stomp of a spear with this Kurrag stone could shake a small portion on the ground. But what if a large group of men would plunge it on the ground? No doubt, it would create a man-made earthquake.

Xinyi's anger flared, watching them with it. That meant these aliens had scavenged a cave up to almost reaching the world's deepest part, because this stone could only be found in such depth underground. Supposedly, during the Chiangda rituals, these green stones were the ones that would coordinate the movement of the essences from the Chiangdas to the power chain and from the power chain to the Kore. No wonder the power chain dwindled because a tremendous amount of the Kurrag stone had been taken away and were used for warfare instead of saving their world.

Xinyi's fisted hands trembled, thinking of how cruel her maternal family bloodline was. How could her grandfather and the whole Platanna world inhabitants had such audacity and fearless attitude to murder the people of Chiji in the name of their own salvation? Brutal and heartless, those were the words she could describe of them.

Her desire to meet this side of her family went cold. She was sorry for her Uncle, Prince Zelmer, for she had no plans on holding back now. Rather, she would forget their blood-connections, if that is what it meant to save her family here in Fengfu and Chiji. This world would never disappear on her watch. Xinyi promised to herself.

Her mind went to guess why her mother left Platanna and married his father, who was from the world Zeirean. Perhaps she had seen this and couldn't stomach the brutality of these people for their own survival. Perhaps the Great King abandoned them of their shameless abuse of their powers. This could be the reason their world was dying as well.

The third group wore shocking red armors from head to toes. Suspecting they had the red Wag stones on them made her even furious. Madness. The saving stones to cleanse the essences of Chiji became their armors against the Chiangdas. How could they use these power stones for warfare alone? Watching the parading colored armies made her wish to call on fire and hales to rain down, burning to ashes.

Unexpectedly, her growing anger made her surging power of which she newly learned to control went berserk. Of course, she realized it when it did, but she had no plans on stopping it. Rather, she wanted it to flame hard and annihilate these armies before they entered the shield. And… that desire was granted. Something in her burst open and unlocked the last essence in her — the rainbow-colored swirling one.

And she raised her hands up, tilted her head to the sky, and yelled. "Burn you, thieves." As she did, the ground shook, sending those in the camp to their knees.

Xinyi's sudden movements brought her to Ming's attention and saw her body shone, her hair flew up, her clothes fluttered as if winds blew up from under her feet. His hand reached for her, but her shield kept him from touching her.

"Xinyi, what happened? Control yourself," he shouted, but she couldn't hear him. 

Instead, the tremor went stronger. Then they heard loud cries from the camp and their chest throbbed as the land outside the Platanna camp opened, swallowing the trees, plants, including those red bearing armies into the crumbling floor underneath their feet.

"No!?!" the prince shouted. His grabbing power pulled those he saw, but they were too many for him. He could not take them away in time. In pain, he watched them fall from where they stood, as the world swallowed them with its wrath. 

The rest of the armies ran away from the cracking ground and went to the trees. Seeing this chance, Tyriece and Lofey whistled. The ears of their long-awaiting flying horses for their masters to call on them perked up and flew right under where their masters jumped down and flew straight to the trees with the reins pulling their heads into that direction.

"Charge!" Lofey shouted to the Chiangdas hiding in the trees. "Kill those bastards. This is our chance before they'll unite with the rest in that shield."

At this point in time, the early morning tweeting of the birds and the c.o.c.k-a-doodle-doo of the roosters were not heard. Rather, it was the battle cries from the armies on both sides. War presumed and more deaths to come.

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