Cyrus POV
With the burst of commotion that now overtook the path we were walking on, I immediately got low and took shelter behind one of the large roots of a nearby tree. I saw two volunteers writhing in pain as the massive vines were slowly pulled out of their abdomens.
"This isn't good at all," I thought as our militia scrambled to defend themselves from the ambush.
The commander gave orders for the group to split up—one squad heading west, the other east. He didn't want to be caught fighting on two fronts if he could help it. Instead, he opted to take the offensive.
"Little boy, how long are you going to hide behind that root?" the commander asked, standing over me.
"I just found cover, that's all. I was going to use my ability, but the chaos was too wild—I didn't want to hurt anyone in the crossfire," I replied, annoyed.
He stared at me with a mixture of disgust and pity before answering. "If you're going to fight under me, I have no room for a soldier who hides during battle. I don't care if you're a kid. Either run back or help push forward and be useful."
"You do know that if it weren't for me alerting everyone to the ambush, you'd be dead, right? So maybe don't act so high and mighty. You might need my help more than you think, Commander," I shot back, rising from my crouched position. Without waiting for a response, I headed west and followed that group.
Hearing the clamor of weapons and the screams of battle, it didn't take long to locate the fighting. Still, I entered my Gravisense state to stay alert. I was going to need to rely on this seventh sense more than I anticipated. I didn't know the terrain well, and I couldn't sense the cosmic energy of the enemy—they were hiding it.
I didn't jump into the fray right away. I followed my father's orders and observed from the backlines. With Gravisense, I could feel that even though we were now split from the original group, the two dozen guards and volunteers had the numerical advantage—two to one.
But the Hollow Branch cultists were perfectly attuned to the astral rainforest. They moved through the environment with practiced precision, using the flora as extensions of themselves. Massive roots lifted guards off the ground. Man-eating flowers bloomed seemingly from thin air. Walls of bark, reinforced with cosmic energy, blocked off advancing forces.
All these elements compensated for their lack of numbers and slowed our offensive. Still, our forces held steady—especially the guards of the Celestial Grove, who were likely wielders of lesser variants of the Eldertree Sage constellation.
While watching, I focused on how the cultists' manipulation of the astral flora distorted gravitational fields. Once I grew used to it, boredom began to creep in. Eager to contribute, I crept closer to the battlefield in search of an opening. Eventually, I spotted one on the cultists' left flank.
I quickly traversed thick roots and low-hanging branches to reach my point of interest. Once in position, I silently climbed a tree to get a bird's-eye view. From above, I saw that one of the volunteer Starbound had unleashed a powerful air current that shattered a barrier of branches, knocking two cult members unconscious and exposing the others. Reducing their force to ten.
From my perch, I calculated how much cosmic energy I'd need to end the skirmish quickly and decisively. Now that they were no longer hiding their cosmic energy, I could sense that most of them were at the same stage as me—the Embryonic Stage. But one stood out.
"Damn it," I thought. "That guy's an Adept Stage Starbound."
"I'll have to be fast. Get in and get out. It can't be worse than the hydra… right?"
I imbued cosmic energy into my legs and launched myself downward toward the group of enemies. Slicing through the air like a meteor, I descended rapidly. The cultists noticed at the last second.
Roots and branches shot out from the forest, trying to halt my momentum, but Gravisense allowed me to react in time. Drawing my blade, I twisted mid-air and slashed through the incoming vines.
Crash-landing onto the ground, I immediately activated my Gravity Well ability and expanded my field of influence to five meters. The sudden shift in gravitational pressure forced all the Embryonic Stage cultists to their hands and knees. The Adept Stage one dropped to a knee.
With seconds left on my ability, I dashed in and pierced four of their cores, killing them instantly.
As the effect of my ability wore off, I sensed more roots coming from beneath me. I quickly retreated and regrouped with the militia.
"What did you just do, kid?" one of the guards asked, stunned.
"I took out four of them. They're down to six now," I replied quickly, still reading gravitational distortions on the battlefield. "We can surround and overwhelm them now."
Another guard quickly ordered the militia to move in. I scanned the group and found the Starbound who'd unleashed the air blast earlier. I tugged on his arm to get his attention.
"What do you want, kid?" he asked, just as he fired another gust at the enemy's bark wall.
"I need you to make an opening for me. If you can, I'll end this."