Ballad of Kyanoko: Soul Tearing Song

Prompt - Draw or write about your character dodging or shielding themselves from the shards as the crystals around the battlefield explode.

Word Count: 573

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The fight had been going well. Despite the many slip-ups, Kyanoko felt her confidence growing with every coordinated attack she made with someone else. She was certain she would never be the type to love fighting, but she was certain she could be okay with fighting. 

But the Great Wyrm had become desperate. It looked like it was about to retreat for a moment, pulling into the sky to avoid the close-ranged combatants. The hope was short-lived as it released a loud and dreadful song, compounded and made worse as it resonated with the crystals around it. They sang and harmonized, creating a tone that made Kyanoko keel over, clutching her ears. 

The song resonated with her body, shaking her core and vibrating her bones. She could no longer tell which way was up and she felt as if she might have been falling into the sky. Then the shattering came, as the crystals’ vibrations became too intense for their structure and they exploded outwards. The attack caught many off guard and she could hear screaming replacing the soul-shaking tone.

“Get out of the way!” she heard someone call. Kyanoko barely had time to see a purple-haired human-like figure charging her before he shoved her aside. She managed to see him sweep his hand, materializing water and throwing a wake in front of them. Barely, she saw the glimmers of cart-sized shards whistling in the air toward them. 

First, she felt cold throughout her body, as if her soul might have already been severed from her body. Then she felt the most intense heat brewing in her stomach. It rose to her throat and forced an escape. In an almost belch-like fashion, she released the inferno in a breath attack a the fire lungs. The gut-magic hit the magic-made water of the human and where she expected it to interfere, turning to steam and leaving them completely defenseless, the magics reacted strangely. 

She had seen odd magic before, but nothing quite like this as it swirled into a cacophony of colors. Somehow taking the properties of gas and water all at once. Hanging in the air and shimmering the image around it like a hot Summer’s day, but reflecting in dazzling colors and creating a beautiful light show like what you’d see at the bottom of a clear lake. 

The shards hit their combined wall and passed through. But none of the shards made contact with Kyanoko or the new arrival. They both held their hands above their hands, embracing for the impact that never came. And slowly, they both rose as they were certain the danger passed.

“That was… certainly something,” the human-ish man spoke in a voice that sounded a little more concise than what his clothes would suggest. “Thanks, miss- er…?”

“Kyanoko.” she answered, wondering how many more introductions she would have to give out this day. “And thank you, too, mister…?”

“Just call me Adriel. I-”

Before he could complete his thought, he was interrupted by the Great Wyrm shrieking. As much as it split Kyanoko’s ears, it didn’t hit her like the crystal song did. Adriel covered his ears and squinted at the beast, gesturing for Kyanoko to look along its massive neck. Barely she could make out crystal shards embedded along the beast.

“Did we do that?” he asked, looking both in awe and fear as he held one hand in another as they began to shake.