n

n

nGeth could feel Albus activating multiple spells as he sprinted up the stairs. The man burst from the entrance with an energy that shouldn't have been possible for someone in his aged state.

nAlbus sprinted across one of the bridges faster than Geth could comprehend. He burst through a set of doors on the other side, not even giving them time to open.

nAlbus stepped out onto a massive balcony. To Geth, it looked more like a training platform.

nThere were hundreds of different weapons and dummies spread around the place. Albus breathed in deeply and looked around in excitement.

nGeth couldn't believe that the man had just aged more than ten years. He was acting like a kid who had just been given permission to leave the house and play.

nAlbus looked to the sky with a bright smile on his face. He knelt down on the ground... and jumped!

nGeth felt the stone shattering beneath them as Albus leapt into the air. He waited for them to fall and continue running on the ground, but it never happened.

n'Are we... flying?!' Geth looked on in astonishment. 'I knew that magic was amazing, but I never thought that it could lead to this!'

nHe used the moment to take in the scenery. The building they had just left was unlike any he had ever seen.

n'I guess medieval sci-fi would be the best way to describe it?'

nThe structure with the Mana pond was a massive crystallized dome, which was pretty much as he expected. That was the only bit within his expectations.

nTo either side of the dome was a massive castle. Each structure was made from a different material.

nOne was crafted from something that reminded Geth of obsidian. Opposite that was a castle that was almost pure white as if it had been built from pearl.

nBoth were beautiful and made Geth think of a yin-yang symbol. Running from the tip of the dome and across each of the castles were the same circuit-type Formations that he'd seen before.

nMana flowed back and forth across these circuits, similar to how electricity flowed through copper. Massive tubes extended out from the dome perpendicular to the castles.

nThese tubes were made of crystalline material. Geth was able to see liquid Mana flowing quickly down the pipes, being carried off into the distance.

nWith Albus' enhanced vision, Geth could see a thriving town below him. Every building was in the shape of a dome, each connected to the pipeline through thousands of light blue circuits.

nLights flashed, and men, women, and children walked about in the streets. A few individuals were flying through the air like Albus currently was, hurrying in a specific direction.

nHe didn't have long to stare. Albus had already turned and flown off, heading in the same direction as some flying patrols.

nThe landscape below them was filled with towns similar to the one left behind. In the center of each living area was a tower connected to one of the immense pipes.

nA light shot out from each tower, covering the buildings in its vicinity in a blue barrier. More families were piling into these barriers, coming from the direction they were flying.

nGeth looked around as much as he could through Albus' eyes. There were very few trees below them.

nThe trees he could see were planted at specific intervals throughout the small cities. Each tree had its own line to the Mana source.

n'Is Mana required to grow trees here?' He continued to look around. The sky was blue, and the surroundings were peaceful.

n'No birds? No clouds? No sun..?' Geth remembered that they were at war. He could even see the fear on the faces of the fleeing citizens.

n'Just what is going on here?'

nHis answer came soon enough. One moment they were flying rapidly over the top of the beautiful, futuristic cities.

nThe next... Geth found they were in a desolate land full of smoke and fire. It was instant, as if they'd been teleported to another world.

nA slight breeze crossed, causing the smoke to thin out and allowing Geth to view the surroundings. Destruction.

nThat was the only word he could use to describe it. Far below them, he could see more small cities being ransacked by vile-looking creatures.

nThere were creatures the size of large dogs that ran amock in the streets, tearing apart the Humans they could get their jaws on.

nTheir bodies looked as if they belonged to spiders. The beasts had small horns on their lizard-like heads.

nThe creatures were genuinely disgusting. Strange liquids left a trail, marking their every move.

nBuilding-sized, bear-like beasts stood to the left and the right. Albus turned his head towards one of them in time to see its fist crash into a tremendous barrier.

nRipples extended out from the point of impact. The force caused the monster to take many steps back, causing it to crush many bug-like creatures and fleeing citizens.

nThe land extending out from the barrier reminded Geth of the devastation caused by the Demonic Skeleton. The ground was charred, with molten areas that burned anything that dared go near.

nThis damage extended far into the distance, even covering the surrounding mountainsides.

nIt looked as if the last of Humanity was hiding in the center of an immense valley. Only now, it looked as if hell had flooded over the mountaintops and was swiftly pushing inward.

nEverything was enormous, the mountains, hills, dried-up riverbeds. Everything in Geth's view exceeded even the current size of his own planet.

n'This can't be Earth... can it?'

nHe didn't have time to think. Albus rushed the nearest beast, his hand turning a scorching red as he approached.

nHis speed increased as he dropped towards the giant bear. The scalding fist met with the bear's skin and shredded through it, pushing Albus into its massive body.

nAlbus pressed through the creature's body, blood and organs splattering across his person. A gaping hole emerged in the monster as Albus burst from its already falling corpse.

nGeth didn't have a chance to admire the man's handiwork as he'd already shot towards the next beast.

n