646 A Place to Begin
Meanwhile, below them, those who could not fly prepared themselves for whatever they were about to face. Their eyes were fixed on the countless approaching dots in the distance.
Suddenly, one of the shapeshifters reverted to his human form and landed before the Village Chief and Stronghold Leader Zogar.
"What did you see?" the Village Chief asked, his expression serious.
Despite his doubts about the identity of their enemies, the Village Chief believed that facing a large and quickly advancing multitude was a crisis the Village might struggle to overcome.
"Chief, you need to see it for yourself," the warrior said, his face filled with disbelief. He turned around, pointing in a specific direction in the sky.
The Village Chief furrowed his brow at the warrior's words.
Was the situation so dire that he struggled to convey what he had seen? Nonetheless, he turned his head and fixed his gaze on the direction the warrior indicated. Suddenly, his eyes discerned several objects in the sky heading their way.
The Village Chief squinted at the flying shapes, and as their details became clearer—
Baddum!
His heartbeat gradually intensified. A thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
"Impossible," the Village Chief muttered.
Stronghold Leader Zogar quickly noticed the Village Chief's odd behaviour. "What's going on, Chief?" he asked.
Receiving no response, Stronghold Leader Zogar shifted his attention to the warrior. "Spit it out; what did you see?" he demanded.
"I saw the Ori…" the warrior began, but the Village Chief abruptly interrupted before he could continue.
"STRONGOLD LEADER ZOGAR, FOLLOW ME!" the Village Chief roared, leaping into the sky and transforming into his shapeshifting form.
However, to everyone's surprise, he didn't morph into a massive green owl form. Instead, amonstrous dragon-like beast with a magnificent array of brown, white, and orange feathers on his back stretched outwards as he ascended into the sky, leaving a sharp gust of wind in his wake.
Witnessing the Village Chief assume a shapeshifting form, an ability he rarely used due to the risk of accumulating injuries, Stronghold Leader Zogar found himself momentarily stunned. Shaking off his astonishment, he tightly clenched his weapon and swiftly raced towards the direction of the Village Chief, determined to catch up with him.
…....…
Eight days had passed since the Prismerions began their arduous journey through the dead forest, and finally, they reached their destination.
Their progress would have been swifter if not for the short breaks they took and the numerous obstacles they encountered.
During this time, they profoundly understood the world beyond the mountain. They realised the external world was far more brutal and unforgiving than the mountains. Without Orion and the warriors accompanying them, their survival outside the mountain would have been non-existent.
The thought sent shivers down their spines whenever they glimpsed the Vylkr vines slithering in the distance. Nonetheless, they were all united in the belief that given another chance to leave the mountain, even with slim odds of survival, they would gratefully seize it.
Their regrets would intensify if they realised they could leave the mountain but missed their chances.
However, the one aspect that never ceased captivating them was the moon's radiant glow, an enchanting scene that filled them with wonder. The sun's brilliance was equally fascinating, providing an unfamiliar, soothing warmth that left them feeling invigorated rather than fatigued, no matter how long they basked in its glow.
Amidst the sea of Prismerions, a member of the Prismaflow clan materialised out of thin air beside Ralais, whispering something into his ears.
Ralais, wearing a solemn expression, listened attentively before releasing a loud sigh of relief as the figure vanished once more into thin air.
"What's happening, father?" Conrad Prismaflow asked curiously, his eyes keenly observing the unfolding scene and catching his father's expression of relief.
The other Prismaflow Clan Leader's family members gazed at Ralais curiously, sensing that there might be good news in the air.
Could they have finally reached their destination?
Ralais turned to face his sons and wife with a warm smile. "It seems that we have finally arrived at the place where we can settle down and build our new ho—" Ralais began, but before he could finish his sentence, a large shadow loomed above him.
Startled, Ralais snapped his head upwards, trying to discern the cause of the sudden interruption. However, as he raised his head and looked skyward—
He suddenly froze in his steps.
Above him was a dragon-like beast with broad, colourful wings that seemed smaller than its massive body, an entity far from anything he had read about in the 'Ancient Codex,' blocking the sun from their view.
At this point, Ralais and every other Prismerion had frozen in their steps, stretching their necks upwards to get a good look at the colossal creature casting its shadow over them.
The beast circled in the air as though observing them and everything around until it abruptly halted mid-flight. Then, suddenly...
"ROOOAAAARRR!!" The beast roared, its body pointing towards the direction they were heading.
Within minutes, the sky above them darkened.
Whether they were various beasts of different sizes, humanoid figures, or the two in the same body, Ralais and the others watched with astounded expressions as they gathered above them in the sky, only allowing small waves of sunlight to pierce through as they moved around.
Although their numbers were nowhere close to the over a million Prismerions below, their varying gigantic sizes and frightening forms made them understand that they were no match for the figures above their heads.
"Everyone hide! We are under attack!"
"Hurry, someone inform the warriors! We are under attack!"
Within seconds, panic swept through the Prismerions as they believed an imminent attack was upon them.
Contrary to their expectations, however, instead of being assaulted, they watched with bewildered expressions as the numerous figures flying above them uniformly arranged themselves and moved forward along with them.
They refrained from harming the flying contraptions that housed the warriors from Orion's Village!
"DON'T BE AFRAID; THESE ARE THE WARRIORS FROM OUTSIDE THE MOUNTAINS; THEY ARE HERE TO PROTECT US!"
Suddenly, a resounding voice echoed around them, piercing their ears and leaving them even more astounded.
