Into the Storm and out of Darkness

Posted by fffffplayer1, on the 31st of August, 2016

It should be noted that four of these characters are actually taken from the Story of a Minifigure series, even though only one of them has been mentioned as of yet (not even appeared). The same goes for Figroth, who is only mentioned. Also, note that some parts of the characters' story are also taken from there, so please bear with me when I don't disclose all the information that you might like in this story. If you are confused over something, ask and I will try answer as best I can. Finally, I will explain some things in the comments, maybe you should read that first.

Into the Storm and out of Darkness

Flashes of red and light blue shone in the dark night sky as two minifigures crossed through it. No they were not minifigures! They were beings shaped like minifigures, but made of a different substance; a substance that did not look entirely physical and shone. One was light blue, the other was red. They were Mythrans. And they were fighting.

Each moment they would collide and wrestle with each other, conjure flames and lightning, each of their respective colours. And every time they did any of that, the sky would be coloured blue and red, purple in the midst. They were dueling for long and neither of them tired. No one could predict how such a battle would end, though no one was watching it anyway.

Then, suddenly everything changed when the Blue Mythran was hit by lightning. It struck on his orb-heart and red electricity branched all over his plasma-like body, visible through his half-transparent exterior. The Mythran spasmed mid-air until the flow of electricity stopped at which moment the Mythran fell from the skies and landed in the wilderness below.

The Red Mythran dove to find his prey and finish it off. As the dark Mythran reached the other, he was getting up.

“You have no power over me, Dark Mythran!”, the Blue one spoke in a forgotten ancient language. “You cannot defeat me!”.

“Oh! But I am not a simple Dark Mythran”, the other replied with a malicious voice.

Indeed at that moment, the Blue Mythran managed to see the Red one clearly for the first time and he could see he was not the standard Red Mythran. There were flames on his head, neck, shoulders and arms, not as if he was on fire, but as an extension of these parts, made by the same essence. Electricity would crackle through his body, originating from his orb-heart and finally his eyes were not the simple generic round all Mythrans had. They were shaped to look evilly upon others.

“Now, prepare to be ended!”.

The Red Mythran had reached the Blue one. He extended his arm towards the other’s orb-heart and his hand passed through the Mythran’s essence as if it was water. He grabbed it and there was electricity all over his body again. The Mythran’s eyes turned red and he screamed as he spasmed; until he was no more…

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

“At first there was nothing. There was only Chaos, but true chaos is nothing. A nothing with being perhaps, but still nothing. Then, Figgelus, the glorious Creator, began to create the Universe. However, Chaos always works to preserve itself. When creation started to be, the chaotic forces behaved as was natural and opposed it in their way. Figgelus then sent the Ithen to the Universe to help his cause. The Ithen were great entities that lived with Figgelus in the Timeless Halls, being mainly spiritual beings and having no material form, but able to take one. The chaotic forces of course acted in a natural way as it was to be expected. Chaos itself is not evil; it is part of nature. Even that is part of the Universe Figgelus created. But Figgelus sent the Ithen, because he did not want pure chaos to reign in the Universe anymore.

“However, upon entering the Universe the Ithen witnessed Chaos and many of them were fascinated by it. Their inner nature was changed, their old self was lost; from Figrithen, Lords of Imagination, they became Malrithen, Lords of Chaos. And so the real battle began. It was the Ithen Wars, when those who remained loyal to creation fought those who had become chaotic. Every time the former tried to create something, the latter would attempt to destroy it. Unknown to both of them, though, this allowed greater diversity as the final result was something no one could have foreseen, created by the vision of Figgelus and the Figrithen, but altered by the chaos pertaining the Malrithen.

“The war continued for immeasurable time, eon after eon, until one fateful day, Figgelus decided it was time. In the midst of everything, at the centre of the Universe, the Imagination Nexus appeared. The beam of Imagination shot endlessly through space, the first light ever to shine in the Universe, a signal to all that a new time had come. With the great power of the Nexus, the Figrithen were capable of ending the war and banishing the Malrithen. After that, they formed the rest of the Universe after the vision of Figgelus, of which each of them understood only a part. And when the time was ready, life came.

“Meanwhile, the Nexus gathered matter from nearby and slowly created a new planet the Figrithen had not foreseen. And it was different from all other planets that they’d made. For it was a cube. It was the very Planet Crux on which we’re standing right now. Some scholars say that life first appeared only when Crux was complete. It might be true.

“After the war was finished, a lot of the lesser Figrithen, in awe of the Nexus, dedicated themselves to protecting it. They took a physical form, their essence becoming the same as the one of the Nexus, while their shape was that of the minifigures, foreshown to them by Figgelus. They were the Mythrans, which in our language means Guardian.

“Chaos survived in our Universe, though. Firstly, it survived because it is part of nature. Without Chaos, our world would be very different, worse even. And Chaos is part of everyone, us included. Just like we have a Creative Spark, we also have a Chaotic Spark. It is in the minifigures’ nature to be able to both create and destroy. Often the latter causes misery to us, like when we wage war with each other, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. Every minifigure strives to find balance between the two or else the consequences can be catastrophic for themselves first and often for others, too.

“Secondly, however, there is the dark Chaos that survives, too. The one that has been corrupted and its true wish is to destroy the Imagination and the Universe. The Malrithen that were banished did not perish, nor did they truly leave our world. Indeed they were much weakened at the dark corners of the Universe, but they continued to exist. And as time passed, they got stronger again and they started sneaking in, venturing into the inhabited places of the cosmos, seeking to cause destruction. At first, they did not attempt to declare open war, but they corrupted the minifigures, which were so conveniently easy victims of manipulation. They shattered the balance between Imagination and Chaos and terrible things were done by minifigures to minifigures.

“However, there were a people that they could not touch and a place they did not dare go to. The people were the Figorani, humans of Imagination. They were the ones who discovered the powers of Imagination and set to use them for the greater good. And the place was Crux, where the Nexus lay. And the Malrithen waited long years hating both Figorani and Cruxians –for most Cruxians were not Figorani–, before they could attack them.

“Yet, after the Creation was finished many of the Figrithen withdrew back to the Timeless Plane where Figgelus sat. They still watched the Universe, but they rarely ventured back in to help now. Other Figrithen remained in the Universe, but they became more passive, they were hard to find and would not help easily those of the material realm. But in times of great crisis it happened that a Figrith might appear disguised as a minifigure to guide those who were lost. It was the Minifigures’ Era, now. They would define their own fates.

“So, a time came when the Malrithen deemed the minifigures would not get any help from the Figrithen, while they had reached their peak of power again. Meanwhile, the Figorani were going through a time of decline. It was the perfect time to attack. The Malrithen took a physical form to resemble that of their remaining old adversaries, the Mythrans. However, they were not identical, for you cannot impose as a being made of Imagination, which cannot be faked. And they became the Red Mythrans.

“So, war began anew, but the Blue Mythrans could not win this time. For the mightier of the Figrithen had departed and the Mythrans as entities of Imagination were capable of only creation; they could not destroy the Red Mythrans. So, the Figorani answered the call to save Imagination and the Universe. Side by side with the Mythrans we have fought for twenty long years. And the Master Builders amongst us have made great difference, capable of even defeating Red Mythrans alone. But still the outcome of the war is dubious and the civilisation of the Figorani is crumbling. Even if minifigurekind survives this war, it is uncertain whether the Figorani will”.

The master finished speaking and he looked at his apprentice awaiting any questions or remarks he might have.

“Master, is the war really that bad?”.

“I’m afraid so. And if we don’t find some solution quickly, I’m not sure what we can do”.

It is customary amongst the Figorani, the ones you may know as First Builders, that after graduating First School, which is mandatory education, at the age of fifteen, young Figorani begin an apprenticeship with an older and wiser Figoranos, who teaches them all they know about their profession, life, the Universe, society etc. etc. Of course, there’s also the choice of Second School, but only few select it and truly the greatest of the Figorani have almost never risen from the ranks of Second-schoolers.

“But we have the power of Imagination. Can’t we use it to defeat them?”.

“The Figorani have fallen from their old glory, Beolin. Even though there are some powerful Master Builders among us nowadays, they are much fewer than they used to be and they cannot win the war alone. Our only hope is on them, but they’ll have to do something exceptional, something that hasn’t been done before to defeat the Red Mythrans”.

“Master, you are a Master Builder, right?”.

“Yes, I have achieved that rank”.

“So, are you one of those Master Builders that you speak of?”.

“This is not for me to judge”.

“And for whom is it?”.

Suddenly, there was a hurried knock on the door, heard even three rooms away where they were. Deofan, the master, rose and made for the entrance hall saying “Beolin, stay here, we’ll continue later”. Opening the door revealed the knocker to be a man of tall stature, with wide shoulders and a muscular body. He had black curly hair, though it was wet at the moment, and his eyes were blue. He had a serious look on his face. His clothes were soaked, because of the rain.

“Yorkanton! Hello! Come in! What are you doing here at this time of day with this rain outside?” Deofan was surprised; it was night; Beolin and he were planning to go to bed soon.

“I have made a breakthrough, Deofan and I need to discuss it with you and Athena. Is she awake?” the man called Yorkanton spoke fast.

“Yes. She’s working on a mech at the moment. Yorkanton, what is it that can’t wait until tomorrow morning?”.

“What if I told you I think I found a way to end this war?”.

“You have?! That is great news! I’ll go call Athena. Please, pass to the drawing room. We’ve got a fire burning there. Beolin’s there, too”.

Yorkanton did as Deofan suggested and sat by the fire.

“Hello, Beolin!”, he greeted the sixteen-year old boy. “How are you?”.

“I’m fine. How about you?” the boy replied, admiration drawn on his face.

*Now, he’s one of the great Master Builders for sure*, Beolin thought. Yorkanton was a blacksmith, a very honourable profession, considering that both the first Figoranos and Figroth, the great lord of the epic old tales, were blacksmiths. And Beolin knew he was great at it, as well as at many other crafts. He’d heard from both Athena and Deofan that he was a good Figgan and a good friend. And rumours had it that he was even a descendant of Figroth Felanor. Even physically, he was pretty impressive with his strong build and serious, but kind expression.

“I’ve been better”, the man spoke truthfully, “But there might be cause for good news soon and then I shall be fine, like you”.

Deofan returned then, followed by a woman with carrot-coloured hair and brown eyes. She was of average height, wore white robes, of the fashion Figorani wear, a mechanical gauntlet of some sort on her left hand and goggles over her eyebrows. She was Athena, Deofan’s wife.

“Greetings, Yorkanton. Deofan says you’ve got something important to tell us”, the woman spoke.

“Would you like to change clothes first, perhaps? That can’t be comfortable”, Deofan asked Yorkanton, looking at the latter's wet clothes.

“No, I’m in a hurry”.

“Beolin, you’d better go to bed, now”.

“No, I want to hear”.

“Very well, it might be good for you anyway. Yorkanton, please begin”.

“Thank you! So, we know that the Dark Mythrans are creatures of chaos; pure chaos. They are completely estranged with Imagination. So, I ask of you, how is it possible for them to make creative thinking, so that they can form plans? So that they know what they should do every time?” the man started.

“They cannot. They have a leader. A special Mythran who is not completely pure”, Athena replied.

“Precisely! Malfros! He is the one who does all the thinking; he leads the other Red Mythrans, so that they can have a plan that can be successful, instead of just destroying everything in their path, until stopped. And he is the one we need to defeat, if we want to win this war. Without him, the Red Mythrans’ will will be broken. They won’t know what to do. And we shall defeat them easily. But he is a Malrith greater than the other Mythrans. We won’t be able to vanquish him, try as we might. That’s why we’ll capture him!”.

Upon saying that, Yorkanton conjured a colourless, transparent crystal shaped similar to a diamond from within his cloak.

“I’ve been working on this for some time” he said “I believe it has the power to capture and contain Malfros in it. However, I’m afraid…”.

“Let me see!”, Athena said reaching out with her left hand, causing the crystal to fly from Yorkanton’s hand to hers. She examined it for some minutes (with her goggles on) and then spoke, “I see what you mean. You’re afraid that after it imprisons Malfros, it will become a source of chaotic power for anyone to abuse. I think you’re right!”.

“I can’t say I’m glad you confirm that. But I thought of a way to counter this”, and he conjured another crystal, this one more roundish, oval-ish. “If we fill this one with Imagination, it can give the forces of Imagination great power, equal to the power of the other gem. This is the best I could do and I think we must take the risk. Save the Universe today and hope it will not be necessary to be saved in the future again. But if it will be, they will have my gem!”.

“Yorkanton, you have outdone yourself", Deofan spoke. “If this war is over, it will be the greatest thing!”.

“But how will we get to Malfros and how will we find him?” Athena asked.

“I hoped Findros will solve that for us; he notified me he will be returning soon”.

“Findros is coming? That’s great! I hope he has good news from the other planets”, Athena said.

“So, we’ll just wait for Findros, then?” Deofan asked.

“So, it seems!” Athena replied. “Yorkanton, I think you should sleep here tonight. You can’t go out again with this rain”.

“I will bring you dry clothes”, Deofan said and he ran off out of the room.

“Beolin, why don’t you go lie down? I think we’re done here”, Athena suggested.

Soon, they were all in their beds, fast asleep, as the sounds of a thunderstorm were heard outside. Anxious dreams concerned with facing Malfros troubled their sleep.

It was long after midnight when someone started banging at the door. Athena woke up and sleepily she made for the door. The moment she opened the door, lightning happened to strike near them. With thunder roaring loudly almost immediately after the flash, a man was revealed to be standing outside, his features being dark, as only his back was illuminated by the lightning’s flash. The whole incident caused Athena to jump back in fear. Then, she recovered.

“Findros! Why are you banging?!” she said, still sleepily and with some annoyance in her voice.

“I tried knocking, but it didn’t work”, the man said simply.

“And what are you doing here so late? Go home! We’re sleeping!”, she yawned.

“I just arrived, Athena! And if you like, I can go back to the ship, but I thought you’d be happy to see me!”.

Athena seemed to be processing that when something occurred to her. “Wait! Don’t go. Yorkanton’s got something to tell you. Yeah… he’s here, too. Come in!”.

As Findros entered the room, the dim light revealed him to be smiling and as soaked as Yorkanton had been. Findros was not as tall as Yorkanton and he had a smaller build. His hair was light brown, but it seemed darker, now it was wet. It was tied on a short ponytail that began high on his head. His eyes had a bright green colour. He was wearing a purple and green trench coat fitting to a captain of a ship.

“You are most kind to let me in, my good Athena!”.

“Oh, quit the teasing! I can’t think properly just after waking up”, she yawned again.

Yorkanton and Deofan appeared, having woken up, too.

“Findros! Good to see you! Did you have a good journey?” Deofan asked.

“It was mostly uneventful. But I’m afraid I have bad news”.

“What happened?” Yorkanton asked.

“The Figorani of the other planets, they are destroyed! I tried to help, but it was already too late when I got there!”.

“What?! How did this happen? How were they defeated so quickly?” Athena enquired.

“I am afraid the Dark Mythrans somehow turned the Daphtharians against us. Great armies of them attacked the Figorani and they fought ferociously. Many people were taken as captives, but so great did their hatred seem to be that I don’t think our customs will survive among them for long. Crux is the last place where we still make a stand. And I don’t know for how long that will continue now that all of the forces of the Dark Mythrans will turn against us”.

The others remained silent for a minute or so, so that the awfulness of this news could sink in.

“There is a way to end this war, before anything worse happens!” Yorkanton began then. “Though it is already too late, at least we may be able to save the Universe, if not the Figorani themselves”.

Then, he explained his plan to Findros. The man pondered it for a moment.

“I can find Malfros alright. But there is another important question. What are you going to do with the Red Mythrans after capturing Malfros? We can’t just leave them on the loose”.

“The Galitros Temple!” Athena suggested.

“The Galitros Temple failed!” Deofan said.

“It only failed, because Red Mythrans that had not been captured attacked the Temple, smashed Galitros and freed the imprisoned ones. However, with Malfros out of the way, the Red Mythrans won’t be able to repeat that. I can go prepare the Temple, while you go find Malfros”.

“It seems like it could work!” Yorkanton agreed.

“Yup! And I’m sure nothing can go wrong!” Findros joked.

“Shall we begin then?” Yorkanton asked.

“What? Now?” Deofan replied.

“I don’t see why we should wait. Besides, we don’t have any time to lose”.

“Let’s go then!” Findros said.

“Wait, I have to wake Beolin! I do not wish to leave him here”.

“Are you sure you want him in such a dangerous mission?”

“It would not be right to leave him out of this. As my apprentice, he is meant to be with me all the time and learn from studying all of my activities”.

Ten minutes later, they were all at Findros’s ship, which he’d parked just next to Deofan and Athena’s house. Yorkanton had built his home on the Avintderos, the Garden Hill, some time ago to be near the Nexus. Athena and Deofan had built their Crux house next to the hill in order to be near their friend. It was there that Findros had landed his ship, too.

“I practically already know where Malfros is”, Findros was saying while pressing buttons rapidly. “You’ll see what I’m talking about”.

A screen turned on and a map of Galaz –one of the faces of Crux– appeared on it. It indicated Imagination and Chaos concentrations with blue and red respectively. Findros zoomed in to the centre of Galaz. East of the Mountains surrounding the Nexus, there was the Vale of the Storm, where the Blue and Red Mythrans fought each other. Between those was a little area where they were located currently. In the centre of the Vale of the Storm, there was a circle of very dense red, where blue was almost non-existent.

“Do you see that area of dense Chaos?” Findros asked. “This is where Malfros is. Only he could cause something like it. We’ll have to manoeuver our way through the Stormvale and into the Storm’s centre. That’s why we’re going to need a fast and small vessel. We’ll take one of the ship’s shuttles. I think it will do the job. Probably! Anyway, Athena, you can take the ship to the Galitros Temple. You have a long journey ahead of you, so you’re going to need it. Any questions before we begin?”.

He waited for a moment “Good! Let’s roll!”.

Beolin was amazed at everything he saw and heard. He’d never been on a spaceship before, nor had he taken part in any real adventures. Now, his master was taking him to one of the most dangerous ventures of his time. He was scared, but he was equally excited.

They entered the shuttle in a hurry and took off with it. Behind them, Findros’s ship parted with the ground and started flying, too. They were on their way.

“How's Nirwella doing?” Yorkanton asked Findros a little afterwards.

“She's well. A little shaken, though, by how bad things are. Last I talked to her -it was three days ago- she was on her way for Kingston. I hope to see her in person soon. It's been a long time!”.

It wasn’t long before they reached the Vale of the Storm. Red Mythrans and Blue Mythrans were everywhere on and above it fighting each other. Lightning, flames, rays of light were everywhere colouring the area in red and blue. Dark clouds were always spreading for many years from the centre of the Vale. They covered the whole Vale and beyond depriving the area of light. They were about to immerse themselves into the most intense and fast battle the Figorani had ever known. Surviving was dubious, but Findros was an excellent pilot.

“Be reminded that in order to capture Malfros as I have suggested, his will needs to be broken. Otherwise, we cannot force him into the crystal!” Yorkanton said once they were there.

Before they knew it, they were surrounded by red and blue blurs of shooting Mythrans and flashes of the elements they conjured. Findros manoeuvered the shuttle to avoid lightning, then some explosions. Two adversary Mythrans appeared out of nowhere before them and Findros had to turn the shuttle upwards to avoid hitting them. Some kind of red fog lay before them now and they had to go around it.

A Red Mythran noticed them and went after them. Realising that, Findros pressed a button and the shuttle’s rear weapons fired a series of blue lasers on the Dark creature, before it could launch a big red blast. Instantly, a Light Mythran was upon the other. Findros relaxed a little and then proceeded to dodge a few boulders flying towards them, having only a second to do so.

They left the red fog behind them, but they still had a long way to go. A big red sphere flew their way, blue lightning struck next to them, while a Mythran erupting in flames hovered on their other side, all in two seconds. Findros avoided them all, but there was an explosion near them, which forced them out of their route spinning.

Some alarm was heard, while many things started bleeping ominously. Findros, who, unlike Yorkanton on the co-pilot’s seat, could make head or tales out of this, started rapidly pressing many buttons of various kinds and he even pulled a lever. The shuttle stopped spinning and it continued its way. Everyone was dizzy, but Findros did not lose his concentration.

“Our rear blasters are down. Yorkanton, I’m going to need you to go to the back and confront any possible threats”, he said.

“On it”.

Findros continued manoeuvering the shuttle out of the way of the deadly conjuring products of the Mythrans, managing to receive only superficial damage.

“We’re halfway there”, he announced just after getting out of the way of what looked like a wave of Imagination.

“Good!” Beolin said to his master “That’s good, right?”

“It’s only going to get worse from now on”, Deofan replied grimly.

“Deofan, I need help!” Yorkanton yelled.

He was fighting a Red Mythran who wouldn’t let them go. However, being on a constantly moving in different directions flying vehicle did not help his cause. Through the opened back doors, the duel continued, but Yorkanton seemed to be losing.

Deofan rushed to his aid and conjured an Imagination Blast in his hands, while Yorkanton was summoning lightning. The Dark Mythran was struck by both at the same time and being hurt, he was left behind. Beolin watched in awe.

“Thank you!”, Yorkanton said, while closing the doors and he panted.

The shuttle was shaken violently as a red blast hit it, tearing a hole to the ceiling. Deofan and Yorkanton quickly fixed it. Yet, no sooner had they done so, than they were hit again, this time from below. There was an explosion and the shuttle started plummeting towards the ground, spinning uncontrollably. Deofan and Yorkanton, who were not wearing their seatbelts, fell down and were slammed repeatedly against the floor, the walls and the ceiling as they changed positions, each time a different one being between them and the ground.

“Our landing is not going to be very comfortable, it seems!” Findros’s voice was heard calm through the crisis “Getting out would be advisable”.

All of a sudden, a hatch opened on the ceiling and the seats were jettisoned out, taking a scared Beolin with them. The back doors opened, too, and the two men, managing to steady themselves, pushed their feet and jumped out from the open doors. Findros had grabbed Beolin, as they did not dare use their parachutes, and was using his Master Builder skills to slow their fall. Yorkanton and Deofan started doing the same for themselves.

They crashed on the ground five seconds after the shuttle, while the other two reached the ground two seconds later. It was still a hard fall, but Deofan and Yorkanton got up immediately and started running. The former grabbed the dazed Beolin and he ran with his back bent in order to cover as much of his apprentice as he could.

Explosions, flames, lightning, plasma blasts, rays of light were all around them, some very near. Findros looked over his shoulder and saw a Dark Mythran headed for them from above. However, a Mythran of Light came flying horizontally and snatched the other away.

They continued running towards the centre of everything. But it was actually the centre that found them before they found it. As they kept making progress, chaos all around them, great red flames burst out from the ground in front of them. And out of the hellish fire, one figure emerged, as a cold cackle was heard. The figure was bigger than a Mythran, but it generally looked like one; one of the dark kind. It had more characteristics, though, that made it special. Flames extended its essence over the arms, neck and head. Lightning crackled through its body. And its eyes... its eyes had a shape to reflect the malevolence of their owner. It was none other than Malfros, the leader of the Red Mythrans.

“Ah! Yorkanton, Findros! Are you truly so foolish to seek to face me? Me?! The greatest Ith of all, leader of the Red Mythrans, Lord of Chaos!”.

“Even amongst the Malrithen, it is dubious whether you are the greatest, Malfros! And you must not underestimate the power of Imagination, even in its humblest handlers! Even if it is not us who do it, you will be defeated eventually!” Yorkanton replied, drawing his sword.

“You might have gotten overconfident after defeating weak Ithen to save your precious Nexus, but you cannot compare their power to mine”.

“We shall see who's overconfident soon enough!” Findros replied.

“So be it, let the maelstrom consume you!”

Tall flames formed a circle around them, surrounding them instantly, and the rest of the Red Mythrans ceased attacking that area -and so did the Blue Mythrans, as they were after the former ones.

Deofan dropped to the ground with Beolin under him creating a force field around them. He was going to protect the child at all costs. Yorkanton, on the other hand assumed a fighting stance, while Findros drew a blaster.

Malfros's attack was instant and very powerful. Lightning bolts struck all of them. Yorkanton blocked the one targeted at him with his sword, which seemed to protect him somehow. Findros absorbed the electricity in his left hand. His hairs rose and he was pushed back near the flames, but other than that he was mostly unaffected. Deofan's force field took the hit of two bolts, which almost broke it.

Once the flow of electricity stopped, Findros extended his arm again and released the electric charge he'd absorbed, but now it was not chaotic, but of the Imagination sort. He directed the bolt at Malfros, but to his surprise he wasn't there anymore. At that moment of surprise and confusion, shared by his comrades, he felt the ground vibrating. He realised what was going to happen half a second before it did and he jumped.

A crevice appeared below his very feet and before he knew it, there was a great chasm under him. He barely made it on the chasm's one side and held from the ledge for dear life, letting his blaster go.Meanwhile, he'd seen cracks appearing all around, one threatening Yorkanton with the doom of its dark depths. As he hung from the cliff, he tried to use all his concentration to build a platform under Yorkanton before he lost his balance on the edge of the chasm where he was still standing.

Yorkanton fell, but he was indeed saved by Findros's quick reflexes. Findros pulled himself on solid ground, Deofan and Beolin having not been caught in the middle of a crevice and not needing his help. He looked around for Malfros, who seemed to have vanished, while Yorkanton returned to soil, too. He had no success, but he realised it was going to be very dangerous to fight in that terrain condition, as the slightest imbalance threatened to bereave them of their life.

Deofan had, in the meantime, managed to stabilise the force field and told his apprentice, “Now Beolin, I know we haven't trained in Imagination manipilutation much, yet, but try to keep this force field up. And don't... get out of it!” he said the last words emphatically and then got out of the field.

At that moment, the ground in the centre exploded and Malfros appeared. Big chunks of earth were jettisoned towards all directions and the three heroes had to dodge or stop them to survive. They were too fast to use Imagination to change their direction in time, so dodging it was. Deofan and Yorkanton used bricks to build bridges over the chasms and under them as they jumped out of the way of the boulders, while Findros just jumped back in the crack behind him, getting a grip on the ledge again and pulled with his arms to reemerge when the danger was over.

Malfros was looking at Yorkanton, so Deofan conjured Imagination lightning against him.He was surprised to see that he actually hit the Malrith, expecting this legendary foe to avoid his attack in a miraculous way. He realised quickly, though, that he just hadn't bothered to do so, since the strike had not affected him in the slightest.

“Ha!” he laughed at Deofan's insolence and he turned around towards him “Who do you think you are, so that you can hurt me, insect?”.

As he made for the man, he seemed to grow in size even more. He raised his hand threateningly and there were flames in it. Yorkanton was running to Deofan's aid and was approaching Malfros fast, for the latter was walking in slow, heavy, intimidating steps. And when Yorkanton was right behind the powerful entity, which was now at least twice as tall as he was before, Malfros swung his arm. But he did not attack Deofan and he turned around with his arm until his hand collided with Yorkanton's sword. This brought about a minor explosion of red and blue and Yorkanton was flung away, while Malfros didn't even as much as blink.

All the while, Yorkanton had started feeling a void inside him; it was as if he was being emptied. And the feeling was growing. A look on the others' faces had shown they probably felt the same thing. This was most troubling.

Yorkanton landed on a platform he'd built to avoid falling inside a crevice. He got up to see Malfros, even bigger than before, getting away from Deofan, but approaching Findros. Findros was attempting a complicated and difficult technique that gathered Imagination and created a sphere of overconcentrated pure Imagination, a task even more difficult in a place full of Chaos. The use of such means would be fatal even against Malfros, as Chaos cannot co-exist with Imagination and in its pure form the latter causes the former to be annihilated. One strike from such a sphere would destroy Malfros's material form and hence his influence on the material side of the Universe. He would be weak and easy to capture. But Malfros had other plans; it was evident he was going to sabotage the pilot's plans.

Yorkanton, meaning to give Findros time, launched an arrow of Imagination towards Malfros, while two Imagination beams were shot out of Deofan's hands. Malfros disappeared before he was hit and he reappeared behind Findros, bigger than ever, as he looked more and more like a giant made of flames and lightning. He hit Findros with a single finger forcing him to the ground. The man's concentration was broken and the orb he had been making blew up. Findros was sent up in the air, while a circular wave of Imagination caused by the explosion split Malfros's ethereal torso in two. However, the two parts reconnected immediately and the titan of a Mythran did not seem worried at all. He grabbed the unconscious Findros before he began falling between his enormous fingers and started squeezing him. Not so much the pressure on him, but the burning sensation of Malfros's touch caused Findros to wake up and scream.

Yorkanton was running as fast as he could towards the dark creature clutching the crystal in his left hand, while the sensation of being emptied strengthened. He realised at last that he was being drained of his Imagination, his life force itself. As he looked at the gigantic Mythran, for a split second his face morphed into a whirling vortex in possession of the same evil eyes as Malfros's. Then, it changed again and before Yorkanton could wonder if it was real or not, he was on fire. Red scorching flames engulfed every part of his body. Yet, Yorkanton was no random minifigure and with a move of his hands he got rid of most of the flames. While parts of him were still alight, he continued making his way towards Malfros, who was now shooting laser beams from his eyes on Deofan and Beolin. The force field finally gave way and Beolin was now vulnerable. He started running in order to avoid the Malrith's attacks.

Without ceasing his laser attacks or squeezing Findros, Malfros raised one hand and some kind of red ravens were conjured out of it. The flock of birds charged against Yorkanton and he started swinging his sword at them. One slash was enough to vanquish them, for Chaos cannot create durable things, but even so their beaks and claws had caused him plenty of injuries before he got rid of them. Still, this attack confirmed Yorkanton's suspicion that, even though he did not show it, Malfros had been weakened by Findros's explosion. Otherwise both the flames and the birds would have been stronger and he might have been smashed now.

There was more lightning and Yorkanton blocked it with his sword, but he was now panting and feelng exhausted, both from the external attacks and the draining of his Imagination. He was starting to feel that he could no longer make for Malfros, but then the Mythran made a mistake. There was an explosion behind him and in spite of being injured, its force was all Yorkanton needed to cover the last of the distance. Suddenly, he was at Malfros's feet.

The red giant lifted his foot and then began to descend it towards Yorkanton to crush him. The man found it hard to move not only because of his exhaustion, but also, because Malfros used his powers to hinder him. Still, with a superhuman strength and endurance of pain, Yorkanton managed to raise his sword over him.

Malfros roared angrily as the force of his own foot caused the sword to be spiked deep inside him. Red lightning was shot out of the injury towards many directions, while Yorkanton seemed to be still alive, since Malfros had decelerated his foot at the last minute when he felt the pain caused by the sword. Meanwhile, he had also released his grip on Findros, who started falling. However, in his state of unconsciousness -he had passed out again- he had a vision of two dark eyes full of little dots of light, like stars. Somehow through this vision, he gained courage and power, for he woke up and abruptly stopped his fall. He saw Yorkanton, unconscious on the ground, and the crystal fallen next to him. He jumped for it.

Malfros recovered soon enough, but before he could finish Yorkanton off -and Findros with him- Deofan got in the way. He had been working on this for some time, but with Malfros's attention elsewhere for a moment he was able to finish his work. All of a sudden, all the flames surrounding them turned blue and tongues of flames emerged out of them and targeted Malfros. Once that was done, Deofan fainted, his strenth leaving him. The Titan-Mythran stopped many of the flames, but could not avoid them all in such a short time. At the moment the fire hit him, Findros raised his hand, now holding the crystal and willed Malfros inside.

There was a blinding white light, which caused the already tired Beolin to pass out, too. Findros remained conscious for as long as was necessary for him to see Malfros was gone and then he collapsed on the ground.

None of the four Figorani was awake to realise this now, but everything seemed to have stopped around them. Everything was still and there was no sound to be heard. Then, the Blue Mythrans got over the original surprise and started moving. The Red Mythans, though, were completely still, in all the odd to look at positions they had when Malfros was captured. Highly perplexed now that their driving force was gone, they were uncertain what they should do. They had been under Malfros's control for so long that they didn't know how to react to his abcense. And hence they did nothing. They would probably eventually start doing things again, acting as their nature indicates, but for now they were confused and unwilling.

Thirteen Mythrans gathered around the four unconscious bodies, while the ground began to mend, returning to its original state before Malfros marred it. Much like the cracks rejoined, so did the minifigure's injuries start healing.

It is uncertain how long, the four Figorani slept, but when they woke up -all at once, it should be noted-, they were well-rested and mostly healed; only Findros and Yorkanton still had some burns.

The minifigures started getting up, confused over what was going on. There seemed to be a murmured chanting coming from the Mythrans. Before they could ask, one of the Mythrans -or was it all of them together- spoke.

“Yorkanton, Findros, Deofan, Beolin! We are very happy to see that you have defeated the Dark Mythran known as Malfros and happier to see that none of you is fatally wounded. We wish to express our gratitude for your aid in our job to protect the Universe. But also we wish to express our condolenses for your loss. However, we need to act quickly still. The Dark Mythrans will rouse eventually. We don't know if it's going to be in five minutes, a few hours, a day, a year or a century. But it will happen some time. And you need to be ready to finish what you started then! That's why we are going to help you complete your plan faster than you may hope on your own!”

As the Mythran(s) spoke, the minifigures began to get drowsy again and after the Mythran(s) ceased to talk, they only got to see another white light before they passed out again.

Deofan started to regain his consciousness. His head was heavy and he was very confused. He was lying on a hard, cold, even surface. He checked it and saw a floor made of stone.

“Wakey, wakey, sleepy-boy!” Athena's voice echoed in the dim-lit room where he was, resulting in his inability of finding the source of the sound.

After looking all around him, he finally spotted his wife.

“Easy now!” she said “What happened?”.

“You tell me! I just woke up!”.

“I only know the end of the story. You people appeared here about an hour ago, while I was preparing the Temple”

At her mention of people, Deofan noticed that the other three were lying around him, too.

“ We're at the Temple? I think we were teleported here by the Mythrans”, he said rubbing his head. “But it's all very vague in my head, right now!”

“Which Mythrans?”

“The Blue ones. They said we defeated Malfros, though I don't remember that part”

“Figured that much”, Athena replied pointing to Yorkanton's crystal placed on a pedestal nearby. Contrary to its former transparency, it now had acquired a red hue. Somehow, it seemed more evil than previously. “I found it near Findros”.

“So, we did it?” Deofan asked.

“Not just yet. We have the rest of the Mythrans to capture”.

All of a sudden, Yorkanton jumped up from his lying position and looked around wildly.

“Where is Malfros?! He was going to smash us! But the Mythrans... they... What happened? Where are we?”.

“We're at the Galitros Temple, it seems!” Deofan responded. “I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it would seem Findros did something for he got up a little before I blacked out myself”.

“But that would be impossible after all he went through. His smashing would be more probable!”.

They all looked at Findros, who was starting to stir at that point. He opened his eyes and looked at the Temple's walls around him. He looked at the minifigures looking back at him. He looked at himself. Then, he spoke.

“Crux! I need new clothes!”.

“Is this all you have to say?” Deofan was aggravated.

“They were expensive, you know!”.

“Findros, what happened at the battle? How did you manage to get up?” Yorkanton asked.

“Nirwella helped me”.

The others stared.

“All I know is that I had a vision of her looking at me and then I felt a rush of power. I stopped myself from falling and used the crystal to capture Malfros. It would seem that it worked, because he wasn't there after the flash of light!”.

“Nirwella protects us even from afar!” Deofan said.

“Perhaps it would have been a wiser course of action to have called her, too”, Yorkanton pointed out.

“I did not want her to face Malfros considering how she was after last time. She'd just try to lift all the weight of the battle on her shoulders and exhaust herself. I don't think she'd make it after a second such battle”, Findros said grimly. “I would have called her, if I thought it was necessary!”

“Nevermind, what's done is done and we have succeeded in the end”, Yorkanton answered.

“Not just yet. We need to trap the other Dark Mythrans, too!” Athena reminded him.

“How are we supposed to bring them here, though?” Deofan asked, while he was checking on Beolin, who was still sleeping peacefully.

“I have one... idea!” Yorkanton spoke. “I'm going to call them using the crystal. I believe Malfros's power inside it is enough to summon them”.

“But that's very dangerous!” Athena exclaimed, causing Beolin to wake up.

While Deofan explained what had happened to the boy, Yorkanton replied “It's the only way I see. Is the Temple ready?”.

“Yes, but-”.

“No buts. It has to be done”.

“Are you sure you want to do it, York? I could do it, if you like”, Findros suggested.

“No, I am adamant. All of this was my plan and I have to do it. Is this the place?”

“Eeh! No, this is just the antechamber. Come with me”, Athena replied.

She led the four minifigures through an arch into a big hall made of the same dark gray-bluish stone as the antechamber. Murals and carved texts were on the walls in the fashion of the Figorani. In the centre, there were five stone squares, four of which were standing on the floor, the fifth hanging over them in the air. If brought together, they would form a hollow cube, the lower face being the floor, but for now they were in a distance from each other.

Yorkanton had brought the crystal with him and was holding it firmly in his right hand, for it was trying to slip out of it -yes, the crystal was attempting to escape. It weighed heavy in his hand.

“Whenever you're ready, I am!”.

Athena assumed a stance, a little similar to that of a basketball player and said, “I'm ready”. The others remained behind the two, when Yorkanton raised the crystal, which then started to glow with a red light.

A red flash filled the room and countless Red Mythrans were in the room. Normally, they wouldn't have fit in, especially in the restricted area among the stone squares in which they had appeared, but being Ithen, they were not restrained by their physical form or the laws of physics; not entirely at least. The Mythrans had time enough to turn around and look at them before the squares were moved by Athena meaning to enclose them inside their cubic prison. As quickly as it had all begun, it stopped and the Mythrans had been sealed away for what they hoped was forever.

“Aaargh!” Yorkanton screamed letting the crystal fall from his hand, which had been blackened, as if burnt, by the crystal.

The man folded in two due to the pain. Athena rushed to his side and put her hands over his wound. A light blue light surrounded it and Yorkanton's pain was eased. However, such a wound was beyond her -or anyone's, for that matter- curing. When she stopped, his hand was as black as before. Yorkanton sat down.

“Don't mind this” he said grimacing “I will- get over it”.

“ Are you sure you are okay?” Deofan asked, looking worried.

“Yeah, yeah! It's already feeling better!” Yorkanton assured them, though he was still grimacing.

Findros looked at him for a while, then talked, “What do we do now? Shall we imbue the crystal with Imagination?”.

“I say we shouldn't. Even with Imagination inside it, it could be abused. I intend to hide it. I will leave a trail for people to find it if it ever is necessary, but until then, I hope it will remain hidden. The red gem, too. But first, I think we should rest!”.

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

They were travelling inside Findros's ship again. It had been agreed they should hide the gems in a planet called Militiregnum. Figorani used to live there, but nowadays the peoples of its were said to have forsaken the ways and traditions of the Figorani. Still, they retained some of their character and were friendly towards them. They would protect the gems well.

Now, they were headed for Kingston, a city in one of the last remaining Figoranos lands in Crux, or anywhere else. An odd connection existed between the planets of Crux and Militiregnum and it was in Kingston that it was strongest. From there they would travel to Militiregnum.

“Do you know the history of Kingston and Militiregnum, Beolin?” Deofan asked.

“I've heard of some things, but it's not really clear to me”

“Let me tell you then!

“Over six hundred years ago, Figroth Felanor had left his land in order to visit Gleswin, where we ourselves are going now. He was there for diplomatic reasons and he and his company camped near Castr. They stayed there for a long time. So Figroth took to having walks in a nearby forest for his leisure. It was during one of those walks that Figroth accidentally discovered a rift in space. He wasn't sure when exactly that happened, but he had been transported to a wholly different place. It looked very similar, but Figroth could see the landscape was different. He explored the place for some time, but soon sought to return. He found out it was as easy to return through the rift as to leave from it. He had travelled to the planet that was to be called Militiregnum later, particularly to the land of Britay.

“Figroth began travelling through the rift during the time that followed very much, seeking to explore the new world and study the rift. He learnt how to know when he'd passed through the rift and how to find it. He also learnt that the rift was not placed in one point, but it stretched all over Crux, being stronger though in that area.

“As time went on, Figroth brought other people through the rift and showed them his discovery. As years went by, a city was built in the location of the camp, but also on the other side, on Militiregnum. It was the twofold city of Kingston, which lies on two planets at the same time, the gateway that leads from one to another. Many people travelled to the beautiful and prosperous lands of Militiregnum and four Kingdoms were founded. Morcia and Britay were kingdoms of the Figorani, while Elepharia and Aquila were kingdoms of the Cruxians. Figroth's sons, Orlan and Valiros were the first Lords of Morcia and Britay respectively. There has always been a strange connection between the two planets. For instance, you will find that even now in the four Great Kingdoms, as they came to be called in contrast to the other Kingdoms of Militiregnum that were not as prosperous as those, they speak the same languages as the people of Galaz!

“We are headed for Kingston, now, because we wish to pass to Militiregnum as well”.

“Is it true they have forgotten the Figoranos ways?”.

“Unfortunately, that's what's being said! But they are still great people! And trustwor-”.

“Oh no!” Findros exclaimed.

“What is it?” Deofan asked.

“Just look!” he said as he, Athena and Yorkanton took in the sight before them with faces of shock.

They had reached Kingston, but Kingston was no more. Only its ruins lay where the tall buildings of the great city once lay. It was one of the last Figoranos strongholds and it was destroyed. Despite their efforts, they had been too late to save it. But what about the rest of Gleswin? What about the spaceports? Had they been destroyed, too?

“Oh no! Nirwella!” Findros exclaimed again, while he hastily landed next to the ruins of the city.

Before anyone could stop him, Findros rushed outside the bridge and then the ship and he entered the ruined city. Collapsed towers, fallen walls, broken domes, burnt buildings, houses with smashed walls and roofs were all around him, as well as countless pieces of smashed minifigures. Some fires were still burning. Findros saw all that, but he pushed it aside for a moment when he could think of the suffering of other people; right now he was concerned by personal thoughts. He had to find Nirwella, she had to be alive.

He ran along the central street of the city, looking everywhere around him for the signs of a living minifigure or something that would lead him to Nirwella. Debris often blocked the street, but Findros just climbed over anything that got in his way. His worry increased with every street, every building, every look that did not reveal Nirwella to be alive.

Then, he reached the central square. A great building had collapsed on it and there was a pile of big broken pieces of marble in front of him. On top of them all, a female figure of average height was standing. She had long wavy brown hair, blown by the wind to her right. She was wearing a midnight blue dress, the hem of which rustled in the wind. She had a very pale complexion and looked very much like a ghost at the moment. Her very dark blue -almost black, but distinctly blue- eyes were looking at him. But they were not just dark blue; her eyes featured little white sparkling dots making her irises look very much like the starlit night sky. And those eyes were about to release the tears they had been holding until then, only two lines formed under them by the single tear each eye had shed.

“Nirwella!” Findros gasped in relief.

“They are gone, Findros! They are gone! I tried to contact them, but there wasn't anyone!” the woman spoke with a voice as one's voice is when they are crying. “They destroyed them! They destroyed them all! We are the last ones! The Figorani... are undone!”.

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

Centuries later, a very old book was found. It was a book that described the events of the Mythran War that resulted in the destruction of the First Builders. It was concluded as such:

*We travelled to Militiregnum, where we sealed the Red Gem, so that its chaotic powers don't creep out of it, and hid both gems. The Figorani were destroyed, but the Universe was saved. The Gems remain a constant danger, but hopefully they will never be found by those who shouldn't use them. We returned to Crux in order to be near the Nexus, which we need to protect always. Our era is over and a new one is about to dawn. I hope that we affected the Universe enough for the new era not to be emerged in darkness. For it barely escaped darkness this time. . .*

> >>Next Suggested Story>> *The Speeling Manuscript*
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