Continuation...
TRIVIUM
Wind howls past my ears as I fall through the atmosphere—faster than sound, faster than thought. The air scorches against my face, each second a blur of heat, fear, and desperation.
Below me, he's still falling—The kid. His limbs are limp, head lolling with every shift in the air.
Flames ignite across his shoulders. Then mine. The heat from the friction wraps around our bodies, tongues of fire licking our skin and armor as we break through the upper sky. The sky is setting us ablaze.
My heart's pounding. I can't feel my hands anymore. My mouth is dry, throat hoarse from shouting the same incantation over and over.
"Yaran telk'sin! Yaran telk'sin!"
Teleportation magic. Again. And again. My voice cracks, my fingers glowing faintly, but nothing works.
Then it hits me—
I've seen this before.
The memory crashes in without mercy, yanking me backward.
I was standing at the edge of the platform, staring at the casket. Small. Too small. A dark wooden box wrapped in our nation's flag, barely wide enough to hold the boy they were laying to rest.
He was only sixty.
My best friend.
God, he had this laugh—sharp and reckless, like he wasn't afraid of anything. We used to race through the barracks after curfew. He's there for me. Always.
However, he was just… still.
No smile. No breath. Just silence.
The high priests lit the ceremonial fire beneath the platform. Tradition. Honor. I remember the flames licking up the sides, slow and respectful, like even they didn't want to touch him too quickly. The fire grew, brighter, taller, until it engulfed the whole platform in gold and red.
Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. We all just… stood there, swallowed by the weight of it.
When the fire reached its peak, a wind rose up. The embers lifted into the sky—rising like stars, like maybe he was going somewhere better. Somewhere safer.
I couldn't hold it together. Not then. I dropped to my knees in the mud, hands shaking, and whispered his name like it was the only thing keeping me alive.
And now, out here… this kid is dying the same way.
Alone.
Drifting.
"Come on!" I shout into the storm. "Why isn't it working?! Why now?!"
The spell tears from my throat like a sob, hurled into the wind with every scrap of strength I have left.
Then—light.
A rainbow beam cuts through the clouds from the heavens—Ultra's Gate. It tears through the sky like divine fire and slams into me, accelerating my body like a bullet. The rush hits so hard I can't breathe, can't think—I'm just moving, faster than I've ever moved before.
And then—I catch him.
My arms lock around his body.
"Gotcha," I whisper, voice breaking. "I can't let you die, kid. I can't."
We're still falling, but now I hold him tight, arms pressed to his chest. I can't feel a heartbeat.
My lips move instinctively as I start the soul-summoning spell—one I hadn't cast since Ultra Academy, when we thought spells were just exercises. This one's real. Urgent. Time's running out.
"Solarae, bring him back... bring him back..."
Tears well in my eyes. My voice wavers.
"I've lost everyone I care about. My family." I grip his body tighter. "I won't lose you too. Wake up, kid! Come on!"
The mark on my palm ignites with golden light.
Then—his chest jerks.
A gasp escapes his lips. He breathes.
Heavy, desperate, wild. Like someone clawing their way back from the brink of death.
"Thank you... thank you, Heavenly Father." I whisper, dizzy with relief.
He blinks rapidly, eyes wide, glassy. "Where... am I?" His voice is soft, raw, confused. He sounds... like a lost child.
I nod, placing my hand over his heart. "You're safe. I've got you."
But we're still falling.
I close my eyes and whisper the last spell—the transformation enchantment.
A blur of red streaks up from the horizon, cutting through the clouds like a laser. It finds us fast, a small machine that twists and unfolds mid-air. It wraps around the boy's body with precision, forming armor—fluid, living metal, designed to protect.
His suit vanishes. In its place—an advanced nano-armor, molded to protect, to adapt.
He reaches out for me—still unsure, still scared.
But I let him go.
Flash. Lightning bursts around me, and I vanish.
JOHN
I'm falling. Fast.
The wind howls in my ears, and my body twists in the air like a ragdoll. "Do not leave me, stranger!" I shout, reaching out to nothing, hoping—begging—that someone will catch me.
Out of nowhere, my mask flashes to life. A screen lights up inside like a booting computer. I blink as glowing icons begin to load.
Windows Starting...
"What's going on?!" I cry out, my voice cracking. My heart pounds like a drum in my chest. I'm still falling—plummeting—but at least I'm headed toward a large, calm body of water. I might survive. Maybe.
Then I hear a voice inside my mask—clean, composed, not human.
"Starting completed..." It says smoothly. "Greetings to you, John Kingsley. I am J.A.R.V.I.S, your personal assistant and guardian."
My breath catches in my throat. "Who's speaking to me?!"
"Itold you a few seconds ago, but your emotions won't let you focus," the voice replies, maddeningly calm.
"What does my emotion have to do with your freaking name?!"
"Once again, I am J.A.R.V.I.S. Your personal assistant and guardian," it repeats, without a hint of annoyance. "John, I'm going to save your life, but I need you to cooperate with me. I will ask one question. Your answer determines whether you live or die."
My stomach flips. "O-okay."
"What wings will you use to save yourself—bird or insect?"
"Insect!" I shout without thinking. My brain is running on pure panic now.
"Good. Now choose," J.A.R.V.I.S. says, still cold and emotionless. "Membranous wings. Elytra. Tegmina. Halteres. Hemelytra. Scales on wings. Fringed wings."
"I don't know any of those!" I scream. The water is getting closer. I can almost feel the mist.
"If you wish to avoid drowning, you must choose."
I shut my eyes tight. My hands tremble. "Okay!! I choose—Scales on wings!"
My arms shoot up over my face as if I'm shielding myself from a blinding light. I brace for the crash.
Next thing I know, I'm floating over the calm water, clinging to this guy with freaking giant see-through wings. It's not even flapping, just gliding smooth like a jet. Chest rising, eyes locked on the reflection staring back.
"Oh my God."
That's me—armored, unrecognizable.
The helmet's sleek, insect-like. Red lenses glow softly, scanning. Thin antennae rise from the top, twitching with the breeze. Not just tech—something more.
The suit wraps my body in black and red plating, tight and muscular. Each panel moves with me, like it's alive. The chest glows faintly at the core—energy pulsing beneath layered armor.
My arms look stronger. Clawed fingers flex without effort. The veins of red along the black metal throb slightly, like a second heartbeat.
Then the wings—massive, red and black, almost too perfect. They stretch wide behind me, feathered with metal, balanced like they were made for battle and flight.
Legs built for power. Every step would feel like a charge. The boots are reinforced, but not heavy. I can move. Fast.
I stare at myself. I don't just look armored.
I look transformed. Ready. Dangerous.
"Okay, can you take me back to space?" I ask nervously, the A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S. responding inside my helmet.
"Flying systems Engage," J.A.R.V.I.S. responds smoothly.
The large wings retract, and suddenly I'm hurtling forward with astonishing speed. The water beneath me reflects the blinding velocity of my flight, waves parting slightly in my wake.
"Ahhh!" I scream involuntarily, bouncing wildly on the water's surface. I struggle to stabilize myself amidst the sheer speed.
"Listen to me, I'm not the Time Manipulator who flies effortlessly and controls his speed," I manage to shout over the rush of wind.
"Testing Acceleration system," J.A.R.V.I.S. states calmly.
Instantly, the acceleration intensifies. I'm moving too fast now. In seconds, I'm zooming past cars and pedestrians on the street.
"Please stop! I'm begging you! I've never flown this fast before!" I yell desperately at J.A.R.V.I.S.
Suddenly, my body spins around, now flying backwards.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I exclaim in panic.
"Testing Acceleration system, John."
"I told you to take me to space! I need to save the wizard. That's an order!" I shout urgently.
"Understood, Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. responds, swiftly turning me forward and accelerating towards space.
"Watch out!" I cry out as I realize I'm hurtling towards a skyscraper at breakneck speed.
Just as I'm about to collide, J.A.R.V.I.S. maneuvers my suit and body, keeping me upright, then shoots me upwards like a rocket. The sonic boom shatters nearby windows as I ascend.
"Why are you doing this to me?!" I demand, frustrated and exhilarated.
"You're overreacting, John," J.A.R.V.I.S. replies calmly.
"Overreacting?! You're pushing me to the limit!" I retort as I shoot up again, now firmly on course back to space to complete the mission.