The crack was so long that its starting point was beyond their view. The end of the crack was, fortunately, just a few centimeters from where the prince's leg had landed. Had his leg moved even slightly, he would have been trapped. Prince slowly retreated, his face covered in sweat.
When everyone saw the endless crack that split the earth in two, a chasm so deep that light itself could not penetrate, and, more frighteningly, its width—not much wider than an average human body—they knew that falling inside meant certain death. "If I had moved just a few centimeters, I would have been trapped and died in disgrace," Prince Aaveer said, wiping his sweat.
He looked towards the sky. "What could have caused this? What was that, and most importantly..." He looked towards the crack where his leg had almost fallen and said in relief, "It felt like it suddenly changed its path, or something. Could that mean..." He paused, looked in the opposite direction from where the wind had rushed, and continued in confusion, "Could this mean that the wind wasn't normal and had a consciousness of its own?"
"Tleion, I want you to connect with the others and inform them of this. Seal the area near the crack and don't let anyone, I mean anyone, go near it. No living being—man, woman, child, animal—no one. Even soldiers must maintain a safe distance. Once this war is over, the first thing we do is clear this mess."
Tleion nodded and began preparing to carry out the order.
A few minutes earlier:
The wind rushed out of the mountain ranges and began flowing at an alarming speed, suddenly increasing its velocity. It exceeded Mach 1, followed by a sonic boom. After a few seconds, it abruptly ascended towards the sky. As the wind flew upward, aftershocks began to appear.
Debris of rocks flew into the sky, trees were uprooted and fell, some just centimeters away, others several meters. Smaller rocks and plants were carried along with the wind. When the sonic boom occurred, the velocity of the aftershocks increased.
All the small stones were instantly crushed into sand, plants cracked and fell to the ground, and the earth began to crack open, with fissures ranging from a few centimeters to several meters in depth.
The strange wind suddenly began to ascend rapidly, its ascent so fast that it significantly reduced its velocity. The impact of the aftershocks also decreased significantly due to the reduced speed and distance. This resulted in the difference between life and death for those on the ground being a matter of mere centimeters.
In the present time:
The wind had regained its speed but was still ascending. Its speed also began to increase exponentially. After covering around two kilometers, the sky roared with another deafening sound. Within a few seconds, another roar began to split the sky.
The strange energy was moving at such a high speed that it began to glow with an orangish hue. Exactly seven seconds later, the near-spent energy regained its power. A powerful roar cracked the ground as its energy grew, propelling it higher and higher. The wind burned with incredible speed, and people wondered, "What's that?" a soldier in Deptor Valley asked.
Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, it vanished in an instant. A fierce gust of wind rushed through minutes later, throwing people and objects in its path. Fortunately, everyone was prepared, thanks to the warning.
"Commander Leo, what's happening to you?" a soldier asked. "Nothing, I'm fine," Leo replied. When the soldier moved away, Leo muttered, "I felt chills from that energy. Such concentration and speed... it's definitely..."
"Commander... Commander, please come outside... hurry!" the soldier rushed back into the camp. Leo, surprised and worried, went outside immediately.
He saw that the ground was completely clear, with no sign of debris. Soldiers were gathering and moving the dead bodies, their faces filled with sorrow, but they continued their work without hesitation.
"Everyone, this is the time for revenge! This is the time! Prepare yourselves, gather your strength, and get ready. We are going to end this suffering." He deliberately paused and looked at the soldiers, whose hands had stopped working for the first time.
"For the fallen heroes!" Commander Leo roared. "For Acroniya!" every soldier responded. The soldiers quickly stood in formation and began preparing for the final farewell to their fallen comrades. After a few minutes, all the soldiers were ready to avenge their losses.
"Charge to Kellitena!" Commander Leo ordered. Every soldier roared, their combined voice shaking the entire region.
Meanwhile, as this was happening:
In the final camp of the Neothaliyans, Julicious was consumed by anger and hatred. He blindly killed anything and everything in his path. Within seconds, he had killed twenty soldiers. The roar had severely injured the ears of most soldiers, and they fell lifeless before understanding what had happened.
Xenthiour, moving towards the cage, stopped for a moment, sensing something. He turned to Zaren and asked, "Where are they? They should be here by now. Go prepare the army."