The new Xinadi stood more imposing than the last. It carried with it an aura of mastery, and it was almost self-evident that this one was older.
Azzanadra wasted no time. He raised his arm high, and a bolt of lightning shot down from the cloud overhead to meet it. He held a pulsing blast of electricity over his head for a moment, and then he released it toward the new enemy. The lightning was on target, but suddenly it stopped, shattering into a thousand bolts that soared harmlessly into the ground between them.
"He didn't even raise his arm!" said Zaros. "How did he do that?"
'I am far too old to be at that level,' the Xinadi boasted. 'I have no need to use my arms in my magic.'
Suddenly, a nearby rock formation exploded into millions upon millions of tiny shards at the Xinadi's will. This one was truly exponentially stronger than the one they had defeated.
'You who take the blood of my kin and my student,' the Xinadi continued, its voice becoming more furious as it went on, 'shall die at my hand.'
Zaros didn't have time to cast his magic. He had one final realization that he had lost his protective helmet before the entire world went black.
Zaros was alone in a dark abyss. Sounds like rustling leaves could be heard in the distance, but no substance could reach him. "Where am I?" he asked.
As if in response, footsteps resounded through the darkness to his left. Zaros spun his head to see, and he could make out a figure walking his way, shrouded in the veil of blackness.
Then, the stranger became brighter, and Zaros could see that it was Ihrba*ka that was approaching him. "You!" Zaros yelled, the rage boiling inside him. Then, his father's words returned to his mind, and, using Armadyl's training, he calmed himself.
"Me," replied Ihrba*ka. "But there is no time to talk. We must see your future."
"My future?" Zaros asked. "Where am I? What happened to the Xinadi?"
"You are in nothingness," Ihrba*ka replied. "And we must see your future now."
20-Apr-2009 05:02:19