Chapter 87: The Last Echo of the World and the Resistance of a Planet
The void's massive energy weapon was seconds away from being fired. The sky was torn by an eerie crimson, the planet's magnetic shield cracking. In the heart of the cavern, Kael stood before the pale, flickering light of the Crystal of Terra. The crystal was coated with the sinister energy of Malakor's dark avatar, its song full of life reduced to a groan of pain. This was a battle to save not just one crystal, but the soul of a planet.
"The game is over, Echo Bearer," whispered the shadowy avatar of Malakor, his voice echoing in Kael's mind with mocking triumph. "Behold the final moments of your world. And know that it is your doing."
Kael pushed the dark whispers from his mind. There was no fear, no despair. Only an unwavering will and a last shred of hope. He took one last step toward the Terra Crystal, clutching the Chitauri core and the Aethel crystal tightly. It could have been suicide, but he had to try.
"Aslan! Thorne! Protect me!" Kael cried, before focusing all his attention and energy on the crystal.
Aslan, despite his injuries, stood like a shield to Kael. Dr. Aris Thorne, with his S.H.I.E.L.D. scanner, was monitoring both the energy levels of the orbiting Void Weapon and the faint signs of life in the Terra Crystal. "Kael! You only have... only ten seconds! The weapon is reaching maximum power!"
Kael closed his eyes. He tried to connect with the deep, dormant consciousness of the Terra Crystal through the Chitauri core. It was much more difficult than the purified energy he had forged in Aethelburg's Beacon; the crystal was poisoned by the darkness of Malakor, alienated from its own essence. Kael devoted all his strength and all his knowledge as the Echo Bearer to this process. He felt the painful echoes of the Earth, the screams of the burning cities, the whispers of those innocent souls trying to survive in his own soul. And these feelings fanned the last Echo fire within him once more.
The avatar of Malakor attacked Kael to stop his desperate attempt. Tentacles of dark energy tried to envelop Kael, to pull him away from the crystal. But Aslan threw himself in front of the avatar with a last effort, buying Kael those vital seconds.
And in that moment, Kael managed to reach the heart of the Terra Crystal. The Chitauri core and the Aethel crystal opened the locked life essence of the crystal like a key. Kael began to pour his Echo energy, his life force, into that sleeping giant. This was not just a transfer of energy, it was an awakening, a prayer.
"Awake, Heart of the Earth!" Kael whispered, his mind merging with the crystal's deep consciousness. "Fight! Resist! Protect your children!"
The Terra Crystal responded to Kael's call. The dark spots on it began to tremble and crack. A blinding, pure light welled up from within, weak at first but growing stronger. The light painfully repelled the avatar of Malakor, illuminating the walls of the cavern. The crystal's song of life began to echo again; this time, it was not a mere groan, but a roar, a challenge.
In the sky, the Void's great energy weapon was about to be fired. But at that very moment, the immense wave of energy emanating from the Terra Crystal surged from the planet's core toward the surface. This energy combined with the Earth's magnetic field to form a vast, glowing Echo Shield around the planet.
When the deadly energy beam from the Void weapon hit this Echo Shield, the sky erupted in an explosion of light and energy never seen before. The shield trembled for a moment, but held. The Void's planet-destroying weapon had been neutralized.
Not only that; the purifying Echo wave from the Terra Crystal had spread across the entire planet. The Void creatures were scattering, screaming in pain, the Void's polluting energy was weakening, the despair in the hearts of the people was giving way to a new desire for resistance. The world was fighting against the Void with the power of its own heart.
In the underground cavern, the avatar of Malakor, weakened by the awakening of the Terra Crystal and Kael's unwavering will, had disappeared, screaming in pain. All that remained was Kael's exhausted body and the triumphant light of the Terra Crystal.
Kael fell to his knees. He had done it. He had saved the world, at least for now. But the price of this victory had been to go far beyond his own limits. His eyes darkened, he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
With one final thought, he whispered to his Chitauri core: "The game... the game is not over, Malakor. And I... I am still here."