He turned around and began walking towards Laurence’s last position, hoping upon hope that his brother was done. Whatever he was doing was their last hope. Their only solution. The Hephaistians had been running for too long, their only real hope now was that the bizarre object that Laurence spent the last two days making actually had some use. I just hope it’s not something to help with his foolish quest...
As he strode through the city he had spent years of his life building with other people, he could not help but notice how empty it was. The people that had stayed in the city were all either on the front line or in his tower looking after the injured, which meant the streets were the emptiest he had ever seen them. Every so often Yun would come across an open door or window, left by a family that had been too urgent in their retreat, or a toy dropped by a child who had been careless. Every door he walked by he closed, every window he shut, and every precious object he found he would carefully place by the roadside covered with a protective glyph of ownership which would make sure they got back to their owners.
His boots clacked against the cobble pathing. Even that sound was louder than he would like. The silence was eerie, like the very town itself was simply awaiting its death. Even as he got closer and closer to the centre of Misty Peaks, to his tower, it was still silent. There were still almost two thousand people within the walls of Misty Peaks, but it was like they were collectively holding their breaths as they waited for the eggshell that was protecting them all to break. There were still soldiers arming the cannons that surrounded the city, but they were a skeleton crew. Their echoed shots were far less regular than they had been on the previous day, barely firing energised salvos of mana once every fifteen minutes. The sounds echoed even louder in the comparative silence of the town, but that and the distant rumble of the battle was the only thing that kept Yun from thinking he had gone deaf.
He walked through his tower and continued to wonder how do many prone could be so quiet. They were all waiting for the other shoe to drop, so that they would know if they lived or died, but still they did it in silence. Friends and family hugged each other for security, watching Yun as he walked past. There was hope in their eyes as they saw him. There was little in his own, but Yun knew that they were not quite out of options yet; there was still Laurence's device.
Yun saw Piao huddled with Fen, and a young woman upon the stairs out of the tower. Father and son nodded at each other as they watched the giants fight. They could not tell how the fight between Peter and his opponent went, but they could see it was bitter. After a moment, Yun moved on. He still had to find his brother.
Finally he came across Laurence, who was quickly approaching the tower as he worked. The man continued to act like a machine, raising the earth, transforming it, before placing it back and locking it in place. He had been working on it for over thirty hours straight, but was only beginning to come to a close, yet as Yun looked on he could not help but think it was the clearest and focussed he had seen Laurence since they were teenagers.
They had not separated on good terms. The death of Cleo had fractured the group in ways that none of them predicted. Laurence became even more unhinged, Winoa raged at everyone except Jim, who tried to keep the peace as best he could. Even Yun said his fair share of harsh words, but his rise in position amongst his and Laurence's new clan changed how he viewed his priorities. He had been cruel, because he saw it as a necessity to keep the clan together but in the process drove his brother away. He regretted it, but he knew that no matter how many times he was put in that position he would make the same choice. He did not have the luxury to travel anymore.
That was the last time he saw Laurence that cycle. The years went by and occasionally he heard of the mountain hermit who could make things, but he was still looking for a place to give his people a home. He did not have the time to chase rumours of someone who was so lost in a relic of their childhood. And yet now that same unhinged man was giving his all to build something to defend their clan from all threats, something that Yun himself was incapable of building.
“How long until you’re done?” A jet of purple lit the sky as Yun spoke. He glanced back and frowned, something had happened on the battlefield, but he was on the wrong side of the mountain to see what.
“An hour at most. I’m almost done, but the last hour is the most complex part. If I wasn’t binding things together correctly then this entire process would take the next ten minutes or so”. Laurence ran his fingers through his hair as he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. After almost thirty seconds he took a step and began moving his arms again. The mana in the air around him had slowly been gaining in strength since he had started, but now it was like Laurence was standing at the heart of a wildfire.
Yun continued to watch his brother as he worked. After five minutes of careful work Laurence completed another section, and Yun sighed. “Why did you come here?” The question had been on his mind since Laurence had arrived, but in his elation to see his brother he did not immediately ask.
“I wanted to...” Laurence said slowly as he focussed on continuing his creation. They both knew that splitting his attention was a bad idea, but Yun could not help but ask. “I wanted you to come...”
“FATHER!” Piao shouted, running through the tower. He skittered to a stop and glanced between the two of them, hesitant to interrupt.
“Tell me later,” Yun said before turning to face Piao. “Speak. What’s wrong?”
“The dragon is coming... Peter lost. I saw him shoot across the battlefield, and I think he’s injured”. As he spoke there was a thud. A giant dragon’s claw smashed into the shield and it started cracking. “What in the name of Babel did they do to make that thing? Is it stronger than you, father?”
“Yes,” Yun replied. “The shield can only take ten more hits like that”.
“Is there anything we can do?” Piao asked, his eyes filled with fear. “Is this the end?”
“There is something,” Laurence said, turning to look at Yun. They shuddered as the dragon's claw smashed against the shield. “You still have that hourglass I made? Take it to the top of the tower and use it, blue side down. It will hold them off for long enough for me to finish... I hope”.
Yun nodded and hugged Piao before springing into the air. He caught the lip of his tower and pushed off against it, sticking to the side and looking in at every opportunity. He passed the remnants of families within the tower, soldier parents and children, grouped together and watching as the dragon cracked their last line of defense. He sprung up another few levels as another strike smashed against the shield. The crack that had formed had spread across a quarter of the shield, but still it stood. Yun was proud, it was not his best work but he could tell that the dragon was not natural. It was not like the beast that slept below Spirit, and instead was a creature that had cost something of great value to summon. His shield would not break under anything less.
Another claw hit the shield as Yun approached the platform at the top of the tower. Leaping onto it he pulled the hourglass out of his pocket dimension and raised it into the air. Channelling his mana into it he waited.
But nothing happened. Another claw hit the shield and Yun growled. He turned the hourglass round and on the blue base there was a simple button that said press me. He swore and raised the artefact once more, only pausing to take a deep breath. He watched as the claw of the dragon descended upon his shield. It was mostly cracked, he knew this was the end. If Laurence's device did not work then they were all dead. He pressed the button and hoped.
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