Chapter 23: Void!!!

The torrent of ice screamed towards Star, leaving an avalanche of frost in its wake.

"No!" Sarah cried. She and Zuru instinctively tried to move, but the Red Queen stopped them.

"Don’t be an obstacle."

The frost breath closed in on Star, swallowing everything in its path.

But then...

"Void,"

Zuru felt a sharp shiver run through his entire body as he watched everything unfold.

Sarah looked away, unwilling to witness what she was certain would be devastating, but the next thing she heard was Zuru’s voice, filled with such overwhelming shock that it completely drowned out the admiration in it.

"Gods... he just ceases to amaze me. Who is he really?"

Sarah’s curiosity was immediately piqued. She could still hear the deafening roar of the ice, yet Zuru sounded nothing like someone watching a person get blasted by it. What exactly was happening? She spun around before she even realized she had decided to, and immediately froze. The sight before her held her completely still.

"H-how is this possible?"

The terrifying torrent had stopped directly in front of Star’s raised hand. But it hadn’t merely stopped. It was disappearing into his palm, swallowed as though the frost suddenly became the palm’s favorite meal.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, and there it was, a piercing void of darkness around Star’s hand where the torrent simply ceased to exist.

Yet Star remained standing with a calmness bordering on casual. His posture hadn’t changed, but his eyes had. They were no longer their usual azure blue. They burned black, mirroring the upper pair of the Skarthrax’s eyes.

And on his face was an expression Sarah had never seen before; Cold... Menacing.

Star’s lips slowly curled into an unsettling smile, and Sarah’s anxiety climbed another notch.

Calmly, he resumed walking towards the beast. But now, with every step, his feet lifted farther from the frost-covered ground until he was walking through the air itself. It was as though gravity itself had suddenly become nothing more than his plaything.

The heavy frost breath continued roaring towards him, but everything that reached the darkness around his raised hand was swallowed without a trace.

Sarah remained too shocked to speak, while the Red Queen hadn’t even realized her mouth was hanging open. Fortunately, there were no flies around the ruined village to take advantage of the situation.

’Maybe he’s really Queen Aurelia’s son... Mother, I will play my part in seeing his protection.’

Still floating in the air, Star now faced the beast’s gigantic head, with no more than four feet separating them. He closed his eyes for a fleeting moment before opening them again, then spoke in a commanding voice.

"HEED MY VOICE, SKAR!"

"HEED MY VOICE, ATHRAX!"

He stared directly into the beast’s eyes.

"STILL!"

At once, the frost breath began to weaken until it finally stopped. The beast’s four eyes twitched erratically, like something inside it was struggling against an unseen command, before all four slowly returned to their original crimson color.

The Skarthrax then released a low, trembling whine, the sound carrying something almost disturbingly close to fear.

"Now," Star commanded. "Kneel."

Slowly, still whimpering, the beast lowered its six massive limbs until its enormous body sank towards the ground. Its head followed, bowing before Star as fear became unmistakable in its eyes.

Zuru stared, sweat rolling down his face.

"Wha... How... He..." He swallowed hard. "He... he could do that this entire time?"

Sarah was too astonished to even hear him. ’He’s... he’s brave.’

The red Queen remained a bit composed, but it was only a bit.

Star, however, continued walking through the air towards the beast, his calm composure never wavering. Slowly and gently, he raised his hand and caressed the Skarthrax’s rough face.

"I know you’re angry and hurting..." he said, his voice softening into something unexpectedly tender. "That’s how I feel too. Betrayed, stabbed, and left alone by everyone..."

The beast released another low cry, its crimson eyes blinking as moisture gathered within them.

Star glanced towards Sarah and Zuru before turning back to the beast. "The truth is... there are people who are willing to accept you, no matter who you are or what you’ve become."

He stopped caressing the beast and placed his palm against the center of its forehead.

"Now I understand why I felt you all this while," he said with a small nod. "The two of you are connected to me, and the bond is really strong."

Just then, Star’s palm began to glow with a piercing light. The radiance rippled down his arm and into the beast, spreading across its body as the Skarthrax absorbed it.

Star stepped backwards, and almost as if summoned by his movement, the air beneath the beast began to spiral. It started as a gentle swirl before rising higher and faster, until a wild tornado surrounded the Skarthrax, violent streaks of crimson light flashing through the twisting winds.

From within the chaos came a wild shriek, followed by a dark creature, half its earlier size, bursting from the center of the tornado with enormous wings spread wide.

Its head was flat and almost square in shape and was crowned by two horns, while its crimson eyes blazed beneath them. Its body was similarly broad and flat, covered in thick fur that continued down towards its long, whipping tail.

Star stared at the creature with pity in his eyes. "What did Dante do to you, Frost?" he said, recognizing something familiar in the creature’s features. "So he gave you up just so he could absorb my own beastly vial."

The creature answered with another shriek, its massive wings beating against the tornado beneath it.

"Yeah," Star said. "I’m mad at him too. I mean, you were very beautiful, as blue as frost, but now you’ve been corrupted by the same darkness inside of me." He looked directly into its eyes. "However, Skar... I guess that’s your name now. You’re free. Fly!"

The beast released one final shriek, then gave Star one last look before turning and soaring into the night sky.

The three of them stared after it in amazement.

"H-his powerful," Zuru finally said aloud.

Sarah stared astoundedly. "Yes he is."

Star, however, turned towards the violent tornado still spinning before him. Just then, something caught his attention.

His eyes glinted as he stared into the storm. Immediately, a sharp shiver suddenly ran through his body.

His eyes clenched shut and his body suddenly shuddered violently.

But just then everything stopped, and his body went still.

When his eyes opened again, an evil smile slowly spread across his face. Without saying a word, he began walking straight into the tornado.

Sarah’s breath caught. "Wha... What is he doing?"

But the two beside her was as clueless as she was.

Star however, walked through the violent wall of air as though it was some opened door.

As he entered the tornado, the dark winds and crimson light swirling around him made it impossible for anyone outside to see what was happening... That was when he let loose a low, sinister chuckle.

"Heh heh heh heh!"

"At last... my Soul Reaper. At last, Athrax," he said, his voice trembling with something dangerously close to evil joy as he threw both arms open and looked towards the sky. "We are free..."

Just then, from the heart of the enormous tornado, a thick dark-green light began to seep outward. It slowly grew stronger and darker as it rose towards Star’s small frame suspended within the storm, then began circling around him.

Within that strange green radiance was a massive dark chain, thick and sturdy, its very presence carrying a palpable sense of death. One end was formed into a sharp, pointed grip, while the other ended in a huge curved heavy blade. Only a stare would probably make one instantly pee their pants.

The green light suddenly surged forward, and the chain shot towards Star, plunging directly into his chest.

"Yes... yes..." Star moaned, his muscles tightening as the weapon continued forcing its way into him. "Hahahaha!"

Star’s usual composure was gone. Whatever gentle, caring presence had been there before was being drowned beneath something much darker.

His smile twisted even more, his eyes burning with an unnatural hunger. D

Dark demonic markings began spreading across his skin. Thin black-red scars crawled from beneath his eyes down his cheeks, while another raw mark stretched from his jaw along the side of his neck like a wound that had been carved into him from within.

"Hahahahahaha!" he laughed again, spreading his arms even wider like a maniac as the long chain continued surging into him.

"One thousand years in mortal chains... Haha! The Crestfolds don’t know what’s coming for them. THE WHOLE WORLD DOESN’T KNOW WHAT’S COMING!"

The chain kept forcing its way into him until even the massive curved blade disappeared into his body.

"Haaaa..." Star exhaled, his voice trembling with satisfaction. "I’m back... The main part of me has just shown up. What a lovely coincidence. Two more parts, and I shall be whole once more."

He tightened his fist.

"Now, however, souls shall tremble at my mercy once again."

Slowly, the tornado began to recede, its violent winds weakening as the crimson light faded with it. The storm gradually collapsed until the ruined village came into view once more. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Zuru laughed triumphantly. "He did it! He did it! Hahaha! Finally!"

Sarah couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t even realize she was doing it, still too astonished by everything she had witnessed.

The Red Queen was smiling too.

However, Star had already begun walking through the air towards them.

"Now... maybe I should test my freedom on those three," he murmured, an evil smile spreading across his face. "It’s been a while since I took a soul."

His eyes darkened.

"No more pretence... It’s time to show them who I really am!"